How To Crash Your Dragon
by LeisaTheGreat
Summary: After crash-landing on an unknown island and acquiring some serious injuries, Hiccup must track down his friends and find a way home before the island's inhabitants discover them... REVIEWS make me happy! Rated T because I'm paranoid...
1. This is Berk

_**Chapter One**_

_**A/N: I know this type of plot has been done to death already but, hey, I like reading them so I figured I'd try my hand at writing one. REVIEW and let me know what you think! Also, I know this chapter is really long...don't get used to it. XD**_

* * *

_"This is Berk. An Island that sits in the middle of nowhere and is surrounded by potential danger. Everyone who lives here has a few near-death experiences under their belt. I'm no exception. In fact, I probably hold the all-time record..."_

* * *

"Woohoo!" Hiccup cheers excitedly, pumping his fists into the air as he and Toothless zip through the sky at heart-pounding speed. To an onlooker, the pair would have been nothing but a dark blur against the early morning horizon. Nearly impossible to track with the human eye. The young viking grabs ahold of his dragon's saddle once again as a range of mountains comes into view. "Come on, bud! Let's see what you've got today!"

The Night Fury drones, eagerly as they soar closer and closer to the rock wall in front of them. Hiccup tenses, his eyes scanning it for a break in the stone. Somewhere to fly through. Surely enough, there's a narrow spot a few feet below them. It's just wide enough for Toothless to fit.

"Okay, steady bud." Hiccup says as he removes his leg from the controls that operate Toothless's tail fin. The dragon whimpers slightly as he begins to loose altitude at an alarming rate. Hiccup pats his friend's head. "You've got this, Toothless. Aim for the break right there."

Toothless straightens himself out as best as he can, diving straight toward the mountain. A determined glint flares to life within his emerald colored eyes.

"Good," The dragon's Rider unhooks his other foot and stands up in the saddle, balancing on Toothless's back. "Hang in there bud, just another second..." They both tense as the wall closes in on them. "And...GO!"

Hearing his Rider's signal, Toothless arcs his back, sending Hiccup flying into the air. Hiccup angles his body so that he lands on the top of the thin mountain and keeps running. His heart is pounding as he leaps once more, his body sailing downward through open air. He squeezes his eyes shut. A moment later-

_Slam!_

His body jolts as he lands back in the saddle, his prosthetic foot instantly snapping back into the controls and reopening the tail fin. Toothless opens his wings to their full span and turns in the direction which Hiccup drives him.

Hiccup smiles. "Yeah!" This part has gone well. Now, if they can just stick the landing... He leans forward, white-knuckling the saddle as they shoot toward the next ridge. Toothless's wings hiss through the air, trying to slow them down.

"Ready, bud?"

Toothless growls, determined.

"Okay..." He leans forward so that his chin is resting on Toothless's head. "Tuck and roll!" The dragon obeys, wrapping his jet black wings around his body and diving toward the mountain. Hiccup's eyes narrow, his body bracing itself. "And...now, bud!"

Toothless snaps his wings open again, giving them one last bolt of friction before connecting with the ground. The Night Fury's massive body skids across the peak of the mountain, leaving trails of dust behind him as he comes to a stop. A few bits of stone trickle down from the edge of the mountain as Toothless's foot claws into it to stop them fully.

Hiccup hesitates, waiting to see if they will slide over the edge like always. Toothless doesn't move either, the entire front half of his body is hanging over the edge. "Okay, Toothless...carefully now..."

With that, the dragon backs up a little. Hiccup leans back, trying to give him some leverage. More stone crumbles away as Toothless slips a little. "Come on, we got this..." A second later, Toothless jumps back. They don't fall. "HA!" Hiccup jumps off the saddle. "We did it, bud! Finally!"

Toothless coos and licks Hiccup's face, leaving a trail of slobber. "Uhh...thanks, Toothless." He grumbles, wiping the dragon saliva from his eyes. "Now, what do you say? Up for some breakfast?" He asks, patting the Night Fury's head. Toothless purrs in consent as Hiccup climbs back on.

* * *

The sun is already fully risen above the horizon by the time Hiccup and Toothless arrive at the Great Hall. Toothless lands on the roof, crawling down to the ground from there.

"Morning, Hiccup!" Gobber calls from where he's seated just outside the large doors.

Hiccup smiles as he climbs down from his seat. "Morning, Gobber."

"You and Toothless have a nice morning flight?" Asks the older viking.

"Sure did. We finally managed to perfect that stunt we've been working on." The young Rider turns to scratch his dragon's neck the way he likes. "I say that's a call for celebration, huh bud?"

Toothless purrs, contently as he follows Hiccup into the Great Hall.

"See you later, Gobber."

"See you, lad."

Inside the Great Hall, a dozen or so vikings are seated around the long wooden tables, eating their breakfast. At the foot of one of the tables, a Terrible Terror is snoozing, peacefully. A little girl is cuddled up against it, nodding off while she waits for her parents to finish up. Hiccup can't help but smile. _I can't believe just a few months ago we were killing dragons... _He shakes his head and laughs a little when Toothless nudges his shoulder, as if to hurry him.

"Yeah yeah, you're hungry. I got it." The two of them cross the room to where a huge number of barrels have been stacked against the wall. Hiccup grabs the closest one and shimmies it down from the top of the stack, lugging it over his shoulder.

"Morning, Hiccup."

He turns to find Astrid standing behind him and Stormfly not too far away. "Oh," He smiles, sheepishly. "Morning Astrid."

The blonde girl motions to the barrel that he's barely supporting. "You okay there, small fry?" There's that mischievous grin on her face...

"Wha-of course!" He shifts its weight and puffs out his chest. "This amount of...raw viking can handle anything!"

She smirks, her eyes glinting. "Everything except-"

"AH!" Hiccup cries out in shock as the barrel is suddenly pushed out of his grip and shatters on the floor. He spins around to find the perpetrator. "Ah...TOOTHLESS!" The dragon looks at him with big, guilty eyes.

Behind him, Astrid giggles and shakes her head. "Everything except a hungry Night Fury."

"Well, Astrid," He says, trying to recover from his outburst. "He is the 'unholy offspring of lightning and death itself'."

She nods back to Toothless. "Oh yeah, he looks real deadly right now..."

"Huh?"

Toothless purrs, happily as he gulps down another fish. Using his little front leg, he pushes the broken bits of wood away and swallows another one.

"Oh, Toothless..." Hiccup mumbles, shaking his head slowly.

It's only then that Astrid notices that her friend is wearing his riding gear. "Were you two out flying already? It's still so early..."

Hiccup looks back to her and shrugs. "Well you know how Toothless can be. Sometimes I wonder why they're called _Night_ Furies. More like four-o'clock-in-the-morning-furies..." As he says this, he cuts an accusing look to his dragon, who is still pawing at the broken barrel.

Astrid chuckles. "Well the Book of Dragons belongs to you now...you have every right to change the name."

Hiccup grins. "Yeah, maybe I'll do that..."

Hearing that, Toothless's head snaps up as if to say, 'you're kidding right'? The two teenagers look at each other and laugh about the dragon's expressive face. Just then, Stormfly-Astrid's Nadderhead-squawks in frustration.

"Okay, girl." Astrid says, patting the bird-like dragon's head. "Let's go get you something to eat." She turns back to Hiccup and says, "See you later for training."

"See you." Hiccup says, still smiling. He watches as Astrid and Stormfly walk away, probably to where the vikings store their chicken since that's Stormfly's favorite. He feels Toothless nudge him with his nose. Turning around to face him, the Night Fury wiggles, excitedly. He coos and jumps to his feet, looking toward the window. "Sorry, bud. We can't go flying right now."

Toothless whimpers and looks at the window again.

"C'mon, Toothless don't look at me like that... Besides, I want to head over to the Forge and see if I can upgrade that tail fin of yours. I think if I can make the connecting rod a little more flexible, we might be able to take sharper turns more easily."

Toothless tilts his head and looks back at the red fin attached to his tail. He lifts his tail, inspecting the little metal rod that connects Hiccup's foot pedals to the fin.

"Come on, bud. If we hurry, we might be able to make a quick lap around the Island before training..."

* * *

The blacksmith forge is already unbearably hot by the time Hiccup and Toothless arrive. The many stoves are flaming, sheets of metal glowing red-hot on top of them or sizzling within basins of water. Gobber isn't home. He must still be at the Great Hall. Hiccup sighs as he ties an apron around his neck and waist.

"How many times have I told him to put the fires out before he leaves? One of these days, this whole place is going to burn down..." Hiccup grumbles as he moves about the shop, just like old times. Not that he ever really left, his inventive nature keeps bringing him back. Of course, ever since meeting Toothless, his passion has switched gears from inventing weapons to kill dragons, to gear to help him ride them.

Toothless watches with mild curiosity as his Rider zips around the shop, taking pieces of unmelted metal from one place, tools from another and scraps of paper from another... Eventually, the dragon yawns and lays down on the floor, hoping to get a nap before another flight session.

Hiccup turns around and smiles, finding his friend already asleep. _Heh, those stunts must've worn him out this morning..._ He shakes his head with a chuckle as he slides a rod of iron into the fire so it can heat up. Once it's glowing, he removes it and sets it on a table, flattening it out with a hammer and dunking it into the water so it cools. Repeating this process a few more times, he turns it over with the pliers and nods. "Looks like this'll work." He sets the new connecting rod onto the table and goes to wake Toothless so they can try it out.

Hiccup's hand is only an inch from the dragon's head when he snaps awake. Toothless's pupils are narrow and he jumps to his feet, growling at the door. "What's wrong, bud?" Hiccup asks him, startled. The young Rider runs to the door and yanks it open, crying out in shock as a blast of fire suddenly roars across the ground outside.

Someone outside shouts, "Dragon attack!" And a horn is blown. Suddenly, the streets are filled with vikings holding nets and flying on dragons on their own. The wild Monstrous Nightmare hisses, furiously as it sends another bolt of fire toward the villagers.

"Shoot!" Hiccup stumbles back inside and runs to Toothless. Kneeling down, he quickly rips out the old connecting rod and jams the new one in. "Let's go, bud! We've got to help them!" He jumps onto the saddle and clicks himself in.

Toothless roars and sprints out into the streets. Hiccup steps down on the foot pedal, turning to see that the tail fin has opened completely. He nods and pats Toothless's side. "Let's go." The Night Fury growls at the wild dragon before leaping into the air. Hiccup leans forward in the saddle and holds on, tight. "We've got to drive it out of Berk before it kills someone!"

Just then, Hiccup notices the sound of several pairs of wings behind him. He turns and finds Astrid, Fishlegs, Snotlout and twins have joined the fight, along with their dragons. He smiles, tightly as they approach. "Morning everyone!"

"Out of the way, Hiccup! Why don't you let a _real _dragon trainer handle this one!" Shouts Snotlout as he and Hookfang tear by, in the direction of the enemy dragon. They square off and shoot a fireball at the other Monstrous Nightmare.

"Hiccup!" Astrid calls. "What's up with Toothless's tail?"

"Huh?" Hiccup spins around, grimacing when he sees the awkward angle at which the tail fin is bent. "Oh great. The connecting rod must not have snapped in right..."

The viking girl flies up next to him and says, "We'll handle this one. Why don't you land and fix that before you end up crashing."

Hiccup nods and does as she suggested. Patting Toothless's side again, he tells him, "Toothless, down."

Astrid watches as her friend lands and hops off his dragon, running back to his tail and begins fiddling with the complicated mechanisms that allow the crippled Night Fury to fly. Satisfied that Hiccup is no more danger, she tells Stormfly to go up and help Snotlout drive the dragon away from the village. Fishlegs and the twins join in as well, guiding their own dragons to opposite sides of the Monstrous Nightmare so it has nowhere to run, other than where they steer it.

"Guide it out toward Dragon Island!" Hiccup calls up to them. "That'll be the best place for it!"

"Got it!" Astrid confirms. "Let's go, guys! You heard him!"

Hiccup looks back to the connecting rod and frowns. He slides it out and turns it over in his hand. "I don't get it...what did I do wrong? I used all the right measurements so why doesn't it fit...? Maybe it's too thin for the casing...?" He mumbles to himself. However, he's torn out of his thoughts by the sound of a terrified scream. He snaps his attention back to the sky just in time to see the Monstrous Nightmare pull a tail spin and smack Astrid out of her saddle. She goes flying.

"Astrid!" He cries out, jumping to his feet. "Guys!" He barks, trying to get someone's attention. But as soon as Fishlegs turns to see what's happening, the Nightmare attacks him too. Meatlug just barely manages to dodge the ball of fire that comes her way.

Astrid grunts in pain as she slams onto the roof of a nearby building and slides down to the edge, gripping the slippery wooden surface for dear life. "Hiccup!" She screams.

And that's enough for Hiccup. Deciding it will just have to do, he jams the connecting rod back in and hops onto Toothless. "Go, bud! Hurry!" In a flash, Toothless is in the air again and soaring toward Astrid.

Just as she loses her grip, Hiccup reaches out and grabs her. Tugging her back toward him, she falls into the saddle right in front of him. "Astrid, are you alright?!" He asks.

"Y-yeah...just peachy." She stammers, trying to settle her thundering heart.

An angry look crosses Hiccup's face as he turns back to the Nightmare who almost killed his friend. "Toothless, down." He growls and the Night Fury obeys.

Astrid steps off as soon as they reach the ground, her brow wrinkling in confusion. "Hiccup, what are you going to do?"

He leans forward and stares the Nightmare down. "I'm gonna drive it away from Berk."

"But the tail fin-" She starts.

"It'll be fine. We're not going far." He says. "Toothless, after that dragon. We can't let it hurt anybody else!"

Toothless growls and takes off.

"Hiccup!" Astrid protests, but to no avail. "You idiot..." She hisses just as Stormfly lands beside her, chirping her concerns. "I'm alright, Stormfly. Now let's get back up there and make sure Hiccup and Toothless are too." A second later, they are flying through the air after the others, a determined glint in their eyes.

* * *

_**A/N: So? How did you guys like the first chapter? Let me know, I love reviews! **_


	2. Technical Difficulties

_**Chapter Two**_

_**A/N: Aaaaaand here's chapter 2! Enjoy! And yeah, much shorter chapter than the last one. I told you not to get used to it! XDD About 1,200 words per chapter is my norm for fanfics.**_

* * *

"Hiccup!" Astrid shouts over the roar of wind in her ears. When he doesn't seem to hear her, she growls and leans forward into her saddle, urging Stormfly to speed up. "Hiccup!" She calls again. This time, he notices her.

He only glances at her before looking back at the Monstrous Nightmare they are trying to drive away from their home. There's a deadly focused look on his face. "What is is, Astrid?" He asks her.

"You've got to slow down. Toothless's tail won't be able to hold out much longer. Have you noticed how twisted it is?" She demands, jabbing a finger at the tail fin which is nearly sideways at this point. However, neither the Rider nor the dragon even really seem to notice.

"Yeah, I know." He says, glancing back at it again. "But it'll be fine. We're only taking this thing far enough so it doesn't turn around and go back to Berk."

"Hiccup..." She mumbles, not sure of what else to say. He seems to sure of himself. Maybe he's right, after all, he doesn't seem to be having a hard time steering or anything.

He offers her a confident smile. "It'll be fine, Astrid." With that, he and Toothless speed up, leaving her in the dust as they continue to push the dragon along with plasma blasts.

The other Riders and their dragons are struggling to keep up as well. Ever since the Monstrous Nightmare attacked Astrid and nearly got her killed, it's been hard keeping up with the action. Especially since Hiccup is back up and pushing the wild dragon so fast.

"Hey, Hiccup!" Snotlout barks. "You mind backing off? I wanted to show that ugly lizard who the _real_ top dog is around here!" The loud boy pats Hookfang on the head, earning him an annoyed growl from his dragon.

"Yeah, you're forgetting, not all of us have a Night Fury. We can't move that fast!" Fishlegs points out. "No offense, girl. You're still the best dragon in my book." He says, affectionately scratching Meatlug's ear.

"That's fine." Hiccup calls back to them as Toothless fires another plasma blast. "Toothless and I can handle the rest. Why don't you guys head back to the village and make sure everyone's okay?"

"Not a chance!" Tuffnt yells.

"Yeah, we want to keep this guy as our pet!" Ruffnut adds. "Did you see how much damage that thing caused?!"

"Sooo awesome." The twins knock their helmets together and laugh, stupidly.

It's while Hiccup is distracted by all this chatter, that Toothless roars and bucks back. He just barely dodges the Nightmare's tail as it snaps backward, nearly hitting them. Hiccup grunts at the sudden jolt. "Thanks, bud." He gasps. "Now, let's finish this! Plasma blast! Keep it flying that way!"

Toothless obliges and fires a bolt of energy at the other dragon, forcing it toward Dragon Island. By now, everyone is flying over open waters off the coast of Berk's shore. They're getting close, just a little more and the Monstrous Nightmare will be in a safer place where it can't hurt anybody.

"Woaahh! Look what I can do!" Tuff says as he turns his Zippleback's head upside down, eaning a laugh from his sister.

"Heeyy! I wanna try that too!" Ruff chuckles, following suit.

"Guys! Focus! Hiccup is doing all the work right now!" Astrid growls.

"Yeah he is!" Tuff confirms. "But it looks like he's doing a pretty good job...hey Ruffnut, you wanna go back and tip some Yaks?"

"Yeah!" She cheers.

"Nobody's going anywhere until this dragon is back on its island!" Astrid barks, directing it mainly toward the twins. "Come on, guys! Toothless's tail is in danger of breaking soon. Hiccup needs our help to wrap this up as quickly as possible!" She admits.

"What if it does break?" Fishlegs gasps. "They would fall into the water! They could even drown! They could, they could-"

"It won't break if we hurry. Let's go." She interrupts. "Snotlout, you and Hookfang go around the side and try to get the dragon to turn in the right direction."

"Got it, babe!" He says, winking at her. "Snotlout's all over this!"

She rolls her eyes. "Ruffnut, Tuffnut, you two fly above it in case it tries to escape that way." They both nod, dragging Barf and Belch a bit higher into the air.

"What should we do?" Fishlegs asks her.

"You stay back here and help Hiccup drive it toward the island. I'm heading below in case something goes wrong Hiccup needs me."

With that, everyone splits up. Astrid and Stormfly push themselves to get underneath the Monstrous Nightmare, earning them a confused look from Hiccup.

"What are you doing?" He calls.

"Backing you up!"

"Well you'd better watch your backs. This thing is-" His eyes widen and he cries out, "Astrid, behind you!"

She turns just in time to see the Nightmare's tail as it smacks Stormfly across the back, disrupting the pattern of her flight. In an instant, they're both plummeting toward the ocean.

"Astrid!" Hiccup shouts as he prepares to follow them.

"We're fine!" She barks, yanking up on the saddle. Stormfly struggles for a moment but manages to stay airborn. "Just keep on that thing!"

"Right." He and Toothless stop racing after the dragon, deeming they've taken it far enough. He motions for everyone else to stay put as well. "Just keep firing at it. It's close to the island now."

Everyone does as they're instructed and, within a few minutes, the wild dragon is gone from sight. Ruff and Tuff smack their helmets together while Fishlegs doubles over and hugs Meatlug, showering her in compliments. Snotlout rolls his eyes and grumbles about how he could have taken care of it himself.

"Astrid, you okay?" Hiccup asks as he and Toothless lower down to her altitude.

She nods. "We're okay. Now, let's get home before something else happens."

"Good idea. Let's-"

"Heey! Let go!" Ruff yells as she tries to wrench away from Tuff. The horns on their helmets are locked together somehow, they can't get free.

"No, you let go!"

"No you!"

"No YOU!"

"Guys-" Hiccup sighs.

"Barf!"

"Belch!"

"Uh, g-guys!" Hiccup says a little louder. "Don't do that please-" But it's too late. On their Riders' commands, the two headed Zippleback spews gas into the air. The green vapor oozes right in Toothless's direction, surrounding him. "GUYS!" With a single spark from Belch, the vapor explodes into flame.

Hiccup screams as Toothless nose-bombs toward the ocean, narrowly avoiding being cooked right on the spot. "Good job, buddy!" He says, breathlessly before slamming on the foot pedal to slow them down. However, as soon as his prosthetic leg pushes on the controls, he feels an odd resistance that was never there before. Hiccup's stomach leaps into his throat when he feels the grinding of the connecting rod as it pops out of joint. Spinning around, he finds the tail fin completely closed. No matter how hard he pushes, it won't open.

"Hiccup...?" Astrid watches as they plummet toward the water, unsure of why he would wait so long to open the tail. A spike of fear jabs through her when she realizes what's happening. "Stormfly, down!"

But before she can reach them, Hiccup and Toothless slam into the ocean, their bodies being swallowed by the icy waters.


	3. A Rough Day

_**Chapter Three**_

Hiccup screams as he and Toothless slam into the water, their bodies immediately being engulfed in complete icy-darkness. They thrash about, struggling to work their way back to the surface. But Hiccup realizes, a bit too late, that his dragon's wings are still unfolded, making it nearly impossible for Toothless to swim. The most he can do is wiggle around, trying to close his wings to become more dynamic in the water.

_I need to get the others to pull him out before he drowns! _Hiccup decides, reaching down to unbuckle himself from his saddle. He presses down on the switch and pulls. He freezes. The buckle isn't opening. He pushes again, tugging with all his might. But it's no use. He's trapped, steadily being dragged to the bottom of the ocean right along with Toothless. _Oh crap, this isn't good! At this rate, we're gonna-_

But his thoughts are interrupted as a pair of hands grab his shoulder and pull him up. Once more, he feels resistance from the buckle. It presses into his stomach, pushing all of the air out of his lungs. Bubbles flood from Hiccup's mouth and his vision goes dark around the edges. A moment later, he sees Astrid swim in front of him and take her knife out. With a few simple cuts, the chord snaps in half and Hiccup is free. She grabs him again and they swim back up.

Both teens gasp for air as soon as they break the surface. Hiccup coughs violently, water gushing from his mouth.

"Are you okay?!" Astrid asks, panting.

"I'm o-okay." He coughs again. "H-help Toothless!"

"Right. Snotlout!" Astrid motions to the water and helps Hiccup swim out of the way. "Can you and Hookfang get him out?"

Snotlout nods, confidently. "We got this, babe." He pats Hookfang's side and the Monstrous Nightmare hovers closer to the water, sticking its massive head under, he stays like that for a moment. A second later, Hookfang's head reappears. There's a saddle clutched in his mouth, yanking Toothless back up.

The Night Fury thrashes, letting out desperate growls. Water pours down his face and he shakes, trying to get the salty water out of his eyes. Toothless tucks his wings in and pulls out of Hookfang's grip, offering a coy mew of thanks to the other dragon.

"Toothless..." Hiccup sighs in relief, seeing his friend is okay.

Toothless's ears perk up, hearing Hiccup's voice. He turns around in the water and forces a gummy smile.

"I'm glad you're okay too, bud."

"Only one more problem." Fishlegs mutters as he flies over with Meatlug. "How're you going to get home? You can't exactly fly now..."

Hiccup frowns. He hadn't thought of that. He had been so focused on not drowning... "Someone will have to go back to Berk and bring help."

"All of you go back together, in case that dragon attacks again." Astrid reasons. "Stormfly and I will stay with Hiccup and Toothless." She looks around and finds a patch of sand and stones jutting up from the water. "We'll wait for you over there, on that sandbar."

Snotlout, Fishlegs and the twins nod. "You sure you'll be okay?" Fishlegs asks.

"We'll be fine." Hiccup assure him.

"We'll be back as soon as we can!" And with that, the other Riders fly off in the direction of Berk to get help.

"Come on," Astrid says. "Let's get to that sandbar before anything else bad happens."

"Right." Hiccup, Astrid and Toothless swim toward the little patch of land while Stormfly glides over and waits for them. Astrid ends up having to nearly drag Hiccup out of the water because he's still so shaken up that his legs don't seem to want to work. They both collapse into the sand, panting heavily. Toothless coos and lays down beside his friends, nudging Hiccup once again. "I'm okay, bud..." He mumbles, reaching up and petting him.

"Man," Astrid props herself up on her elbows. "That was crazy."

Hiccup grunts in agreeance.

"But I'm glad you're both okay." She adds, quietly. A small blush on her cheeks at the admission.

Hiccup tilts his head to look at her and smiles. "Me too. I don't know what I would've done if Toothless had gotten hurt..."

She nods and looks over at Stormfly. "I know how that feels." Then, with a small shake of her head, she says, "Well I guess this means no training later?"

"Huh?" Hiccup rolls over, still not sitting up. "Why?"

She frowns at him. "Well, for one, you almost drowned!"

"I'm _fine_!" He insists. Toothless purrs, as if to say 'so am I'.

"Plus, look at your dragon's tail. No way you're going to be able to fly."

"Pff!" Hiccup pretends to laugh as if the idea of training being canceled is absurd. "You doubt my skills, Miss Hofferson. I'll have a new connecting rod made by this afternoon."

She smirks but folds her arms. "Aren't you being a little cocky?"

"Hey, I'm a viking. Cockiness and arrogance are two of the things we're best at." He points out.

"That and stubbornness." She mumbles.

"So training at our normal time?" Hiccup asks, flashing her his trademark grin.

With a dramatic sigh, Astrid says, "Fine."

Hiccup laughs and pushes himself to a seated position, reaching up to wipe his soaked bangs from his eyes. He scoots over so that he's sitting next to Toothless. The Night Fury's purrs continue and he wraps his tail around Hiccup, resting his head on his front feet.

Astrid smiles as Stormfly follows their lead and sits down behind Astrid so her Rider can lean on her. "Seems like the dragons are a little tired too."

"Yeah, seems like it." Hiccup agrees as he pets Toothless's head. "Oh yeah, and remind me to never fly in front of the twins ever again."

Astrid giggles but shakes her head a little. "Those two are out of their minds. You're not mad at them are you?"

"Nah, they can't help it." Hiccup shrugs, his nose crunching up in a silent chuckle as Toothless rolls over so that his belly is facing the sky. "I'm just thankful it wasn't anyone else. We would have had a rough time getting a bigger dragon out of the water."

"Yeah." Astrid watches him as he closes his eyes and leans back against Toothless. "I hope they show up soon. I'll feel better about all this once we're back home."

Hiccup nods but doesn't say anything. He seems content just sitting there, curled up against his best friend. In all honesty, Toothless seems pretty okay with the situation as well. Then again, Toothless seems happy _whenever_ Hiccup is safe and close by.

Astrid smiles and rolls her eyes. _A boy and his dragon..._

A few minutes later, the sky darkens as a large dragon passes across the sun. Astrid's first instinct is that the Monstrous Nightmare has returned again. However, as the creature comes closer, she makes out a distinct azure coloring to its skin...as well as a rather familiar figure seated on top of it.

"Hey, Hiccup...help is here."

Hiccup sits up and squints into the glaring light, shading his eyes to get a better look of who is coming. Once he realizes who it is, he seems to shrink back. A guilty look going over his face. "Oh man, did they have to tell my dad?"


	4. Bonds

_**Chapter Four**_

"Oh man, did they really have to tell my dad...?" Hiccup grumbles, pushing himself to his feet. The young viking forces an innocent smile and waves to his father once he gets closer. Hopefully, if Stoick sees him upright and breathing, the news of this catastrophe will go over better.

Astrid stands up too and hops onto Stormfly's back. "He would have found out eventually anyway." She points out, quiet enough that Stoick won't be able to hear. "He is the chief, after all."

"Yeah I guess..."

Toothless's head pops up, sensing other people. He stands up and shakes again, flinging the last of the water off his scales. He tilts his head up to look at Hiccup, curiously. That's when Stoick and Thornado land on the narrow sandbar.

"Hiccup!"

Hiccup flinches at the tone in his father's voice. He means business. "O-oh! Hey dad..." He says, light-heartedly. "Beautiful morning for a swim, huh? Well, let's head home before-"

"Son." Stoick folds his arms and steps in Hiccup's way just as the boat he brought with him drops anchor on the thin shore. "This isn't a game, you know."

Stoick's son sighs and nods. "I know, dad."

"This could have ended up much worse than it did. Especially if the others had turned around and left when you told them to." His face tightens when he adds, "You could have drowned."

Hiccup lowers his gaze and nods again. "I'm in trouble, huh?"

"Of course."

"Stoick, sir." Astrid says, coming a bit closer. "It really isn't Hiccup's fault. He was only trying to help."

"I know that, Astrid. But he was still reckless and that nearly cost him his life." The chief uncrosses his arms and motions for Hiccup to get on the ship. "But we can talk about this more when we get home. Let's go, everyone."

Hiccup doesn't respond but does as he's told, mumbling for Toothless to follow him. The dragon whimpers and lowers his ears when he passes Stoick, as if he's afraid of being scolded as well.

With a sigh, Hiccup settles down on the floor of the ship and Toothless curls up right beside him, wrapping his massive body, protectively, around his Rider. The Night Fury coos and stares at Hiccup for a moment, his green eyes shining with curiosity and concern.

"It's okay, buddy. We're going home." Hiccup assures him just as Stoick and Astrid take to the air. The ship pulls up its anchor and sets sail after them, in the direction of Berk.

* * *

A cool, ocean mist sprays across the docks as everyone steps off the ship. It's nearly midday and the streets of Berk are as packed as ever. There are a few vikings waiting for them when they land. Those not on the ship extend their hands to help them out of the boat. Gobber is one of them.

"Ah, Hiccup. I heard about your little diving expedition. Did you have a good time?" He asks, joking as he holds out his non-hook hand to help the young boy.

"Ha ha, very funny, Gobber..." Hiccup says, sarcastically. He takes his mentor's hand and hops onto the dock. Toothless leaps out as well and lands beside him, wagging his large tail like a happy dog.

"Oops, seems like I've been found out." Gobber says, referring to the excitedness that seems to radiate off the dragon. "I figured nearly drowning was a pretty rough experience for good ol' Toothless. So I brought him a little something."

"Oh yeah?" Hiccup asks, smiling down at his dragon.

Gobber takes his other hand from his back and displays a cooked fish, skewered on his hook. He waves it around in front of Toothless before letting it slide off onto the floor.

Toothless's mouth is practically watering at the sight of it. Hiccup laughs as the over-grown lizard scoops the fish into his mouth and swallows it, licking his lips.

"I think that's his way of saying 'thanks'." Says Hiccup.

"Well you'd know better than anyone else. I'll take your word for it." Gobber chuckles as he turns to Stoick, who has just landed along with Astrid. "Now see? What'd I tell ya', Stoick. Your boy is fine. No shark bites from what I saw."

Hiccup smirks. _Shark bites? Dad worries too much._ He notices Astrid hop down from Stormfly and stroll over to him.

"How was your voyage?" She asks, lightly.

He shrugs. "Dull. Then again, I'm used to flying through the air on the back of a five-hundred pound winged lizard so..."

Astrid giggles and shakes her head. "I guess nothing can quite compete with that, huh?"

"Nothing." Hiccup agrees, patting Toothless's head, affectionately. "Well, I'll see you later for training. We gotta head over to the Forge and fix that connecting rod."

"Alright, see you later." She tells him before whistling for Stormly to follow her. "Come on, girl. Let's go get you something to eat."

Hiccup watches her as she remounts her Nadderhead and leaps into the air, zooming off into the distance. A slightly annoyed look crosses his head when he remembers just how far it is from the docks to the Forge. With a small groan, he and Toothless start hiking up the steep hill into the village. "I hope your happy, Toothless. You've made me lazy."

Toothless tilts his head, not quite grasping what his young friend means by that. But, apparently, he doesn't mind the accusation. He simply continues to trot right along side Hiccup as they make their way toward the blacksmith shop.

* * *

_CLANG!_

_ CLANG!_

_ CLANG!_

Sparks fly as a hammer smashes down over the hot piece of iron, molding it into the right shape. The rod hisses as it dunked into a barrel of water, steam slithering into the air around it. Hiccup sets it down and steps back, moving toward an open window. He reaches up and wipes the sweat from his forehead.

"Phew it's hot in here..." He says to himself. "Count yourself lucky, Toothless. You're heat-resistant."

Toothless-who is laying on the floor of the shop with his eyes closed and his paws crossed-opens one eye and coos, slightly. He seems sleepy.

"You know, bud. You don't have to stay awake, take a nap if you want." Hiccup says as he turns the new connecting rod over in his hands, inspecting it closely. "I'll be done here in about fifteen minutes but that's enough time to-"

But he is interrupted when the Night Fury suddenly stands up, stretches and walks over to him, nudging Hiccup's waist with his head.

"Oh I get it, you're bored, not tired." Hiccup rolls his eyes and goes back to working. "Well sit tight just a little while longer. I'm nearly done."

After five more minutes of pounding the metal into the proper shape, Hiccup nods, deeming the new segment is ready to be attached. "That didn't take as long as I thought it would." He says, smiling proudly. "Alright, bud. You ready?" He kneels down beside Toothless. "Moment of truth."

The connecting rod slips right into its spot with no problems. The mechanisms around it click into place. Hiccup leans over and pushes down on the foot pedal, grinning broadly when the tail fin fans open.

Toothless purrs and wiggles his butt. It makes sense that he'd be happy about being able to fly again. He jumps to feet and spins around, looking like a dog who's chasing his tail. Afterward, the dragon bounces behind Hiccup and pushes him toward the door, droning with excitement.

Hiccup laughs and unties his apron, tossing it over the workbench. "Alright, Mr. Bossy. Let's see what this new, light-weight tail can do!" Once outside, Hiccup leaps onto the saddle and they instantly rocket into the sky, reaching the clouds in a matter of seconds.

* * *

On the other side of town, Astrid is leaning against the side of her barn, waiting for Stormfly to finish her meal. The young blonde's attention is perked when she suddenly hears a familiar sound. One that, only a few months ago, would have instilled fear and blood-lust into her.

The sound of a Night Fury tearing through the sky.

She jogs away from the barn to get a better look. A little grin crosses her face when she sees Toothless gliding just below the clouds, Hiccup's tiny figure is just barely visible.

"Yahooo!" Hiccup cheers, his voice echoing all the way down to Astrid's ears.

"Well, well, seems like I did underestimate him." She comments. "That Hiccup...never ceases to amaze."


	5. Dragon Training

_**Chapter Five**_

_**A/N: I'm trying to make the dialogue a little more light-hearted and true to the series. The only problem is I suck at everything social so...pardon me if the conversations sound awkward or too forced.**_

Sharp, winter wind bites through Hiccup's clothes as he and Toothless glide toward the Training Academy. He can clearly see his breath, which puffs out in little white clouds. A shiver goes through him. _Great, and I was really starting to enjoy the only slightly freezing weather. Looks like devastating winter is going to come a little early this year..._

Toothless lands on the roof of the Academy and crawls down the side, dropping to the floor from half-way up. Hiccup grunts at the impact and slides off the saddle. He takes a step away before realizing he's still hooked in. "What the...?" He reaches down and grabs the chord that keeps him secure in the seat. It's locked again. "That's not good..." He mumbles, wrenching at it. "And here I thought that was just a freak thing...I'll need to have a look at the safety mechanism later..." But until then, he reaches behind himself and unties his belt, which is hooked to the chord.

"Hey, Hiccup!"

He glances up at the sky and waves as Stormfly flaps down through the opening in the roof. Astrid jumps off before her dragon even lands. "Long time no see." He says, sarcastically.

Astrid's eyes find his riding gear which is laying on the ground in a heap, still tied to the saddle. "What happened there? Did that thing jam up again?"

He shrugs. "Guess so. When we're done with training, I'll take it to the shop and fix it."

"Hmm, seems like a lot of stuff is breaking lately." She comments, dryly. Then, with an ornery smirk, she adds, "Maybe you're not as good an inventor as you make yourself out to be."

Hiccup feigns offense and gasps. "That's got to be some kind of blasphemy."

"If you say so." She says, innocently. "So, when do you think the others will get here. I can't wait to hear what the 'Great Dragon Tamer' has for us today."

Hiccup snickers at the grand title and simply shrugs. "Soon, I hope. I'm kind of excited to train with this too..."

"Oh? Do you have any hints for your favorite student?" Astrid bats her eyelashes and smiles.

"Who, Fishlegs?" Hiccup asks, pretending to be confused.

She puckers her lips and folds her arms. "Cute."

"I try."

Just then, a loud shriek makes them both flinch and cover their ears. Snotlout laughs, evilly as he and Hookfang enter the arena.

"Your wait is over! I'm here." Snotlout says, loudly. Then, with a wink in Astrid's direction, he says, "Hey, babe."

Astrid pretends to gag, inciting a laugh from Hiccup.

Soon after Snotlout climbs down from Hookfang, Fishlegs and Meatlug walk in through the front door, having landed outside the Academy. And a moment later, the twins arrive with Barf and Belch.

Fishlegs goes straight over to Hiccup, wearing an eager smile. "So? What're we training in today? Accuracy? Speed? Attack?"

"Yeah, can we practice attack? I wanna blow some stuff up!" Tuff shouts, pumping his fists into the air.

"Me too!" Ruff agrees, punching her brother's shoulder.

"Ugh, all that stuff is so boring. Hookfang and I are already good at all of that!" Snotlout complains.

With a weary sigh, Hiccup says, "Actually, today we're doing something a little different."

"Oh?" Astrid asks in such a way that makes Hiccup blush. He gulps and shifts his weight a bit.

"Y-yeah. A-anyway," He clears his throat and looks back at everyone else. "As you guys know, dragons are our greatest asset. They've saved all of our lives more times than we can count."

"Yeah, we know that, genius!" Snotlout comments with a roll of his eyes. This earns him a hard elbow to the ribcage from Astrid.

"Ahem, as I was saying: but there have been times when we've been separated from our dragons. All of those times we were practically helpless."

"Oh man, are you gonna have us do more excersizes?!" Tuffnut whines.

"Yeah, I still hurt from the last time you insisted on 'training the body as well as the dragon'." Ruffnut adds as she rotates her sore shoulder.

"No!" Hiccup barks, reaching to rub his head which is beginning to ache. "What I was going to say is: we need to be able to find our dragons if we get separated. And it's entirely possible that dragons calls may not cut it. They might be too far to hear or, Oden forbid, they might be injured and can't come to us."

"So? What are you saying?" Snotlout demands, getting impatient.

"I'm saying that we need to learn how to track dragons in case we ever need to find them!" Hiccup concludes.

"Track dragons?" Tuffnut asks, scratching his head. "How're we supposed to do that?"

"Well, we start by learning the difference in dragon footprints and then hints you can look for in your surroundings to-"

"Wow this sounds boring!"

Hiccup glares at Snotlout who stands up and stretches. "Well, pardon me Hiccup, but I think I'm going to go train my _dragon_. You know, like the reason this is called the _Dragon Training Academy._"

"Snotlout!" Astrid growls. "Don't be such a-"

"Yeah we're coming with you." Tuff and Ruff say at the same time. "We wanted to go yak tipping anyway!"

Ruff smacks her brother across the face and hisses, "Shut up, idiot! No one is supposed to know that!"

"Oh yeah...do you think they heard me?"

"Yes, Tuffnut, we heard you!" Hiccup groans.

"Oh man! They're onto us!"

"Run!" The twins scream as they sprint out of the arena, their dragon following behind them. Snotlout shakes his head, seeming shocked at their level of stupidity, before jumping onto Hookfang and flying away.

"Well." Hiccup sighs. "That was a total failure."

"Not a total failure!" Fishlegs protests. "We're still here."

Astrid nods and hurries over to them and smiles. "Yeah, those guys just don't appreciate what you're saying. It makes sense to me."

Hiccup smiles, softly. "Thanks guys..."

"Well? Come on! Let's get to training!"

"Um, right." Hiccup pulls the Book of Dragons from his vest and kneels down on the floor, his friends following suit. Flipping open to the first entry, he begins to explain the subtle differences between a Nadderhead and Monstrous Nightmare footprint...

* * *

Night is falling over Berk by the time class is dismissed. The horizon is glowing shades of pink and orange and there are stars already twinkling against the black sky. Fishlegs waves as he and Meatlug fly off toward home.

"See you tomorrow!" He calls.

"See you." Hiccup agrees, waving back. He and Astrid watch as their friend disappears over the hill that leads into the village. With a small chuckle, Hiccup starts walking.

"Where are you going?" Astrid asks him. "Your house is that way."

"I know." He assures her. "I'm headed to the Forge again. I want to check out that buckle, see why it keeps getting stuck."

She nods and jogs to catch up to him. "Don't take too long or else you'll end up being too tired for our field trip to Dragon Island tomorrow."

"Me? Too tired to train dragons? I'm sorry, madam, you must have the wrong Hiccup."

"Cute."

Just then, Toothless bounds up being Hiccup and makes a garbled sound in his throat. He wiggles his butt and flaps his wings, looking up at the sky.

"Sorry, bud. It wouldn't exactly be safe to fly tonight until the saddle is fixed." Hiccup explains, wearing an apologetic smile. "But don't worry, we'll have plenty of time to fly tomorrow when we go to Dragon Island to practice our tracking."

Toothless makes a sound like a droning sigh before falling into step behind them. He folds in his wings in and coos, unhappily. Stormfly chirps and tilts her head, looking at Toothless with a confused expression on her bird-like face.

"Sorry, bud." Hiccup says again. "But I'd rather us not drown again."

Astrid laughs as Stormfly leans down and gently pecks her side, communicating something to her. "Okay, okay." Astrid reaches up and strokes the dragon's head. She looks to Hiccup and says, "I guess that's my hint to take her home. I think someone's tired."

Hiccup laughs. "Okay, see you tomorrow. And remember, five a.m. for our trip to Dragon Island."

"I'll remember." She tells him. "Don't stay up too late."

"We won't."

Astrid hops onto Stormfly and they take off into the air, hovering just above the ground for a moment. Hiccup's breath hitches at the sight of the lovely blonde poised in front of the moon and colorful horizon. His cheeks heat up and he suddenly feels bashful.

"Night, Hiccup."

"Um, g-goodnight Astrid..." And with that, she and Stormfly disappear as well. Hiccup feels a little nudge on his elbow. He turns to find Toothless giving him an odd expression. "W-what are you looking at?!" He demands, folding his arms.

Toothless groans and bounces away.

"Okay, yeah. Let's just go to the Forge and get this saddle fixed." Hiccup mumbles as he runs to catch up with Toothless. The Night Fury purrs when Hiccup gets closer. Hiccup pats his dragon's head. "It was a pretty rough day, bud. Let's just hope tomorrow goes smoother..."

**A/N: Let me know how you guys are liking this so far!**


	6. Falling Out of the Air

_**Chapter Six**_

_**A/N: GAHHH! The new Defenders of Berk episode comes out tonight! So excited! XD And, wow, two chapters in one day...yeah, I love me too! XD**_

Hiccup's small bedroom is still dark, the boy's body is covered with a thick quilt. He mumbles something in his sleep and rolls over, tugging the blanket over his head. The whole village is quiet and peaceful.

That is, until a loud roar sounds from outside. Hiccup flinches as he yanked back into consciousness by the noise. Dust and wood chips trickle down from the ceiling, settling in piles on his floor as something slams into his roof. It roars again.

"Toothless...!" Hiccup grumbles, receding into a ball. "Give it a rest!" On the roof, Toothless growls and jumps again, shaking the whole house. He crawls over to the lip of the wooden roof and pokes his head into Hiccup's window. The dragon coos and pushes his head against Hiccup's. "Ohh, Toothless...!" The boy groans, clumsily reaching up to push his dragon away. "Five more minutes!"

But Toothless doesn't want to wait five more minutes. Already, he has been deprived of two chances to go flying and he isn't willing to miss another. No matter how groggy Hiccup is. Toothless growls and glides into the room, landing at the foot of his Rider's bed. Lowering his head, he opens his mouth to display his trademark toothless gums. Gently, so as not to hurt Hiccup, he closes his mouth around the boy's ankle.

Hiccup's eyes snap open, knowing what's about to happen. "N-no, wait! Toothless don't-" But it's too late. With a single tug, Toothless yanks Hiccup straight out of his bed and onto the hard, wooden floor. "Ughh..." Hiccup groans and rolls over onto his side, rubbing his neck where it connected with the floor. Sitting up, he glares at Toothless with tired green eyes. "Alright, alright. I'm up. ...apparently."

Toothless purrs and runs to the stairs, pawing at them as if to hurry his friend.

"I'm coming." Hiccup says, smiling despite himself. It doesn't seem to matter how annoying or bossy Toothless can be, Hiccup can never really stay mad at him. "Yeah, we can go flying now."

* * *

Astrid shivers and hugs her arms closer against the cold. _Man, it's freezing out here. I thought devastating winter wasn't for a few more weeks!_ She glances over to where Fishlegs is cuddling with Meatlug to stay warm and then back at the cloudy sky. _Looks like there's going to be a storm within the next few days. _ "I wonder where Hiccup is?" She says, mostly to herself. "He better not have overslept."

"Relax, Astrid." Fishlegs says. "He and Toothless are probably taking a morning flight. We all know how stubborn Toothless is."

"Yeah, almost as stubborn as Hiccup himself."

Stormfly chirps, softly and nudges her beak against Astrid's shoulder.

"I know, girl. We can go flying as soon as Hiccup gets here."

"I wonder if the others will come too. They didn't seem very interested yesterday." Fishlegs comments.

"Hn, I wouldn't be surprised if it were just us this time." Just then, an inhuman screech fills the air. A black dot races across the sky before vanishing once again. It reappears several feet away and then dives back into the clouds. "Oh, look. Seems like the Mighty Dragon Tamer finally decided to grace us with his presence." She says, sarcastically. Astrid folds her arms and smirks, waiting for Hiccup and Toothless to land.

For a moment, there's nothing but the eerie call of a Night Fury. The stillness is, admittedly, a bit unsettling even for Astrid. No wonder the Night Fury was such a feared dragon; she'd almost forgotten after getting to know Toothless.

However, after a few more seconds, the black figure reappears and nose-dives right toward the arena. Hiccup cheers in excitement as they tear closer and closer to the Academy.

"Show off." Fishlegs grumbles.

Astrid wacks him across the shoulder and steps back so Toothless has room to land.

"Ow...was that really necessary?"

She doesn't answer him. Instead, she waves at Hiccup who has just landed on the wire roof of the Academy. Toothless coos at her and crawls down from the hole in the roof, dropping to the ground. "Well, look who finally decided to show up." She says, looking at Hiccup.

He smiles, sheepishly and dismounts the saddle. "Sorry for the wait, guys. Toothless didn't get to fly very much yesterday so he was feeling restless."

"_He_ was feeling restless? Somehow I think the feeling was mutual." Astrid says, grinning at him.

"Yeah well..." He glances around the Academy and arcs an eyebrow. "Just us today?"

"Seems like it."

Hiccup shrugs. "That's fine. Maybe we won't get shot down into the water again, huh bud?" Toothless purrs, happily.

"Yeah, let's all hope today goes a little better than yesterday." Astrid agrees.

"Hey! Don't say that! You're gonna jinx us!" Fishlegs glances around in a paranoid manner before hugging Meatlug.

"Jinx?" Astrid asks. "Fishlegs, how old are you? Three?"

"Actually, I'm-"

"Nevermind. Can we just get going now? Before Fishlegs chickens out too..."

"I wouldn't chicken out!"

Hiccup sighs and shakes his head. "Alright, everyone. Let's go." He hops back into the saddle, directing Toothless toward the door. "Next stop: Dragon Island."

* * *

A vicious wind is blasting through the sky as the Riders make their way to Dragon Island. It's presence definitely agrees with Astrid's assumption of a storm but it's nothing they can't handle. The dragons' wings are far stronger than is needed to fly through this wind.

"Hiccup," Astrid calls. "How much further?"

"Um, about...five more minutes? Maybe."

"You don't seem very sure of that." She comments.

"Because I'm not. It's too windy to take the map out right now but don't worry, we're on course." He assures her. "I recognize the landscape."

"If you say so."

"Uhh...hey guys!" Fishlegs says, his voice sounding trembling slightly.

"What is it?" Hiccup turns around, frowning in confusion at what he sees Fishlegs pointing at. Below them, veiled in mist, is a small island. "What the...?"

Astrid notices it too and tells Stormfly to slow down. "Was that island always there?" She asks. "I don't remember ever seeing it before..."

"Neither do I." Hiccup mutters. He leans down and pats Toothless's side. "Just hover for a bit, bud. I want to check the map..." Toothless obeys and remains stationary, flapping his wings to keep them in the air. Hiccup fumbles through his vest and pulls out his notebook where he has copied the map of Berk's neighboring areas.

"Did you find anything?" Astrid asks him.

"I don't get it." He mumbles. "We're so close to Dragon Island. It's only a little bit in that direction," He jabs a finger to their right. "We've been all over this area a hundred times. How could we have missed an entire island?"

"Maybe it was the wind." Fishlegs suggests. "It could have gradually blown us in another direction."

"Possibly." Hiccup mutters, his brow furrowed.

"Well it doesn't really matter. If we're here then it means we're off course." Astrid says. "Let's just figure out where we are and then get to Dragon Island."

"Um, right." Hiccup nods. "Well, there are a few little islands surrounding the main Dragon Island. I'm sure that's what this island is. The only question is, which one?"

"Hmm...maybe-" But Fishlegs is cut off by an enormous roar right above them. They all whip their gazes upward, just in time to see a familiar dragon speeding toward them.

"It's the Monstrous Nightmare who attacked the village!" Hiccup gasps.

"No kidding!" Astrid retorts.

The huge dragon opens its mouth, blasting fire through the air right toward them. Astrid screams when Stormfly suddenly dives out of the way and sends a barrage of spikes toward the other dragon. The Monstrous Nightmare yelps when one of the spikes scratch its front leg. It hisses, furiously and flies straight toward them.

"Astrid!" Hiccup barks, seeing that she's in trouble. "Toothless, we've got to help her!" He says, patting his dragon's head. Toothless growls in agreeance and bolts forward, firing a plasma blast into the back of the Nightmare's strong neck.

It whips around, suddenly seeming torn. It doesn't know who it wants to kill first. Then, it seems to decide it doesn't need to choose. With a dragon-esque grin, it whips its tail up and swings out at the unsuspecting Hiccup. Then, turning its claws toward Astrid, it attacks her as well.

Hiccup gasps, yanking back on the saddle a bit too late. The dragon's tail crashes into his chest, effectively knocking him off Toothless.

Astrid sees this and screams his name, her heart leaping into her throat. However, she is distracted when the Nightmare's claws rake out toward her. Stormfly just barely dodges but Astrid is still jolted quite a bit by the sudden movement. She manages to hang on but then remembers Hiccup...

"Fishlegs!" She screams. "Hold this thing off! I've got to catch Hiccup!"

"Right!" He says. "Let's go, Meatlug!"

* * *

Astrid urges Stormfly to hurry as they rocket toward Hiccup and Toothless. The first thing she notices is how deadly still Hiccup is. He's not even trying to get back to Toothless, who is only a few inches away.

_He must be unconscious. _She concludes, remembering the way the Nightmare's tail had smacked right into him.

Toothless is awake, however. He flips through the air, desperately screeching at Hiccup, trying to wake him. At this rate, they'll both crash-land right on that island and die.

"Now, Stormfly!" She cries out, leaning forward into their plummet toward Hiccup. At her command, Stormfly tucks in her wings and allows gravity to press down on them, quickening their already immense speed. Astrid reaches out, her hand fumbling for Hiccup's limp body, only a few feet away. She growls an inaudible swear under her breath at the sight of the island closing in on them, faster and faster. "Come on...come on...!"

She stretches her arm as far as it will go, her fingers brushing Hiccup's ankle. She's just about to grab ahold of him when Toothless suddenly spins around and strikes out at them with his tail. The force knocks Stormfly sideways, forcing her to open her wings and slow down to almost a halt.

"TOOTHLESS, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Astrid screams.

In response, the Night Fury reaches out with his front legs. After a moment of struggle, he grabs Hiccup and pulls him in, cradling him close to his chest. Toothless snaps open his wings, dramatically slowing their pace as well.

Astrid sits back, her eyes widening in understanding. Toothless knew she'd never be able to save Hiccup without crashing. He saved her life. But that leaves the question...will Toothless be able to land safely without Hiccup there to steer him?


	7. Awakening

_**Chapter Seven**_

**A/N: FINALLY the plot starts to take off. Sorry that took so long! I just figure I needed to explain all the events up to this in order to show what, exactly, caused them to crash and where everything came from. Sooo...yeah! Enjoy this chapter and don't forget to REVIEW! **

**Also, the newest Defenders of Berk episode (named Zippleback Down) (11/21/13) was soooo cool! I love the twins (even though they get on my nerves sometimes with all their antics) XD. So it was pretty awesome to see an episode just for them. Plus, the return of Torch was pretty epic as well! I can't wait to see what happens with Alvin and/or Dagur and/or Mildew in the future.**

Astrid grimaces, watching Toothless glide toward the island with no way of stopping or even steering himself. He'll crash eventually. The only questions remaining are: where? And how bad will it be?

Fishlegs cries out as the Monstrous Nightmare screeches in frustration and fires at him. Meatlug dodges but is obviously having a rough time keeping up with the far-more agile dragon.

Seeing this, Astrid turns back to Toothless and closes her eyes in defeat. There's nothing she can do to help him right now. The most she can do is help Fishlegs fend off the enemy dragon and hope that Hiccup makes it out alive somehow...

* * *

"Ohhh..." Hiccup moans in pain as he rolls over onto his side, reaching up to clutch his aching head. His eyes are still closed but he's awake now. His body feels heavy and broken. Everything hurts... When he takes his hand away from his forehead, his palm feels sticky. Finally cracking open an eye-and wincing from the painful light-he finds that his hand is caked in blood. His blood.

It's only then that he notices that the ground seems to be moving. It rises and falls, steadily. Confused, he tilts his head backwards to see where he is. His breath hitches at the sight below him.

"Toothless..." He croaks, forcing himself to roll the rest of the way over. Standing, or even sitting up, isn't an option right now though. Toothless is laying on his back, his legs still grasping Hiccup's body. He grimaces when he realizes what happened. Toothless saved his life again...but at what cost? "Hey, bud." He whispers, petting the dragon's head. "Are you okay?"

He gets no response.

Hiccup's breath catches again, he feels his throat closing with the threat of tears. "T-Toothless...?" He asks in a shaking voice. "Bud, wake up."

Nothing.

Hiccup bites his lip against the pain and forces himself to get to his feet. He stumbles and then falls again, gasping at the horrible pain in his head.. But right now, he isn't really concerned about himself. He needs to know that Toothless is okay.

Now that he's no longer laying on the dragon's body, he can see the rather painful-looking gash running up one Toothless's back legs. There are also several patches were the scales were torn off of him. A small amount of blood seeps from those spots. They're nothing life-threatening but they might hinder his movement. Other than those minor injuries, Toothless seems to be okay...so why won't he wake up?

Hiccup moves closer, touching his dragon's head again. "Toothless." He says, trying to sound firm. "Come on, please wake up." But, despite his efforts, his voice breaks again. He drops his hand to his side and takes a deep breath to steady himself. _Come on, Hiccup. Get ahold of yourself. Toothless is fine...he's gonna be fine..._ He bites his lip again, unsure of what to do.

With his eyes closed, Hiccup misses the slight twitch of Toothless's nose. He doesn't notice the very subtle coo that comes from the dragon's throat. That is, until Toothless nudges him with his paw, almost knocking the weakened boy over.

"Toothless!" Hiccup cries out, joyfully. Tears spring to his eyes and he stumbles over, wrapping his arms around his friend's neck. "Thank Thor you're okay!" He breathes.

Toothless purrs and rolls over, shaking his body as if to wake himself up a bit more. Hiccup laughs and pulls away, sighing with relief now that Toothless is back on his feet. Still, those wounds don't look good.

Having forgotten his own pain, Hiccup stands up. "Come on, bud. We need to get back to Berk and have Gobber take a look at..." His voice trails off as his eyes roll back in his head. Hiccup's knees give out and he collapses back to the forest floor.

* * *

"Hiccup!" Astrid calls, cupping her mouth to help project her voice. "Hiccup! Can you hear me?" She and Fishlegs have been tramping through the forests for almost an hour since chasing off the Monstrous Nightmare. That island may have looked small from the sky but, up close, it seems enormous. Especially knowing that Hiccup is here somewhere, probably hurt...maybe even dead. She frowns. No, not dead. No way is he dead.

"Hiccup! Toothless!" Fishlegs shouts.

"Hiccup!" Astrid nearly screams. "Toothless!"

They get no response.

Astrid does her best to fight the panic that is steadily rising within her. What if Hiccup is badly hurt? What if he can't walk or is still unconscious? How will they ever find him in this huge forest? What if...what if...

"Astrid." Fishlegs says, touching her shoulder.

"What is it...?" She asks, sounding almost hopeless.

"Look." He points up toward the sky.

"What?" She asks him. "What are you pointing at?"

"Look at that tree." He says. "It's all...bent."

It takes a moment but she eventually finds the tree he's talking about. It's a good few yards away but...he's right. Something big-something dragon sized-must have hit it for it snap like that. The two sprint toward it. Astrid's heart is racing at the new evidence. Not only are more broken trees ahead, she even finds a black scale. Toothless crashed near here.

* * *

When Hiccup's eyes finally flutter open again, he finds himself wrapped in darkness. An aching pain resonates throughout his whole body, particularly his head. He feels like he's been trampled by a herd of dragons... But why is it so dark?

"Ohh...where am I...?" He wonders. Suddenly, as if the world itself were reacting to the sound of his voice, there's movement all around him. The dark sky breaks and bright, blue light comes streaming in. _Oh, that explains it. _ The darkness had been Toothless's wings covering him. Said dragon nudges his Rider with his nose. The Night Fury lets out a small whimper and prods at Hiccup again. "O-ow...okay, yeah, I'm glad to see you too." He says, petting him. Toothless whimpers again and moves a little closer, sniffing Hiccup's forehead. "I'm okay, bud. Just a little sore..."

Toothless scoots over and stands up, giving Hiccup room. However, Hiccup can't help but notice the limp in his friend's step.

"Oh boy..." He grumbles, pushing himself back onto his elbows. "We really messed up this time, huh bud?"

Toothless drones and tilts his head.

"I wonder if anyone even knows-" He stops, his eyes widening. "Oh no...what happened to Astrid and Fishlegs? They were fighting the Monstrous Nightmare when we..." He grits his teeth together. "I hope they're okay."

_**-xXx-**_

"Hiccup!" Astrid is sprinting at this point, her arms and legs pumping as she ducks under branches and jumps over roots and overgrowth. "Toothless!" She knows they're close. They have to be. So why won't they answer her? Of course, the logical reason is that they're simply to far away to hear her. But Astrid isn't interested in logic right now. She just wants to know that Hiccup is alive.

Her steps finally slow once she gets out of breath. Black spots dance across her vision and she has to sit down. "Do you see anything yet, Fishlegs?" She calls. He and Meatlug are hovering just above the trees, trying to get an aerial view.

"Not yet!" He shouts back.

She closes her eyes and leans her head in her hands. _Oh Hiccup...where are you?_

* * *

Hiccup's eyes are closed once again. His body resting against the soft, loamy ground below him, with Toothless's body wrapped around him. He hadn't exactly wanted to go to sleep but his head hurt so much...he couldn't keep his eyes open. Suddenly, though, Toothless snaps his head up. His wide, green eyes flashing back and forth across their little clearing.

Feeling this, Hiccup opens one eye. "What is it, bud?" He asks.

Toothless jumps to his feet and bounces toward the woods, stopping at the edge and looking at Hiccup.

Hiccup tries to sit up but gasps at the pain in his head, clutching it. "W-what's the matter? Do you hear something?" He manages to prop himself onto his elbows without much difficulty and cranes his neck to see what Toothless is looking at. He sees nothing.

Then, as if startled, Toothless yaps and jumps backwards. He looks at Hiccup then back at the woods. When he notices that Hiccup can't stand, Toothless runs over and nudges his Rider, cooing loudly.

"Bud, what're you doing?" Hiccup asks, squinting through his blurry vision. His head has started to ring again and his eyelids feel heavy.

Just then, Toothless whips around to look at the trees once more. His ears perk up and twitch as he listens. The dragon suddenly leans down and grips Hiccup's clothes with his gums, trying to force him to get up.

_There must be a good reason for him to be acting like this..._ Hiccup decides. "Okay..." He grunts, allowing Toothless to help him stand. Hiccup has to close his eyes against the dizziness but remains on his feet, using Toothless like a crutch for the first few steps. "Okay...what is it, bud?" He asks, stumbling after the excited dragon.

* * *

Astrid picks up pace, following the scattered trail of broken trees and dragon scales. A few times, she even finds little smears of blood on the bark and on the ground. Her chest feels tight with nervousness. With all this destruction, Toothless must be hurt pretty badly. Then again, dragons are tough. They don't die easily. The same can't be said for Hiccup... He may have survived the fight with the Red Death, but only just barely...

It's while her thoughts are on these subjects that she hears something. The cracking of a branch. She stops dead in her tracks and looks up to where Fishlegs is viciously scanning the woods for any sign of their lost friends. It couldn't have been him. So who-

"Ow-ow! Okay, bud, I got it...I'm coming!" Even from this distance, Hiccup's voice is unmistakable.

"Hiccup...?" She whispers, turning around to face where the voice had come from. "H-HICCUP!" She screams, sprinting in his direction.


	8. Stranded

_**Chapter Eight**_

_**A/N: Oooh! The story's kicking off now! Enjoy and let me know what you thought!**_

Hiccup stumbles after Toothless, frowning in confusion at the way his dragon is behaving. It's like he's trying to lead him somewhere... The only conclusion Hiccup can arrive at is that Toothless must hear something and is hoping, whatever it is, can help them. Suddenly, Toothless doubles back and coos at him. Running around behind him, Toothless nudges Hiccup forward. "Ow-ow! Okay, bud, I get it. I'm going." He grumbles, staggering a bit. "I don't-"

"HICCUP!"

Hiccup freezes, stopping dead in his tracks at the sound of Astrid's voice. And so close. That must be what Toothless was leading him to! "Astrid?" He turns around, trying to zero-in on where she is. "Astrid!" He calls, loudly. "Are you there?"

From somewhere deep in the woods, she replies, "Yes! Where are you?"

"Um..." He turns around, trying to find a landmark for her to follow but everything looks the same. "Oh!" He looks at Toothless. "Bud, plasma blast."

Toothless obediently fires a bolt of energy at the sky.

"Did you see that?" He shouts.

"Yeah! I'm coming!"

Hiccup smiles and walks over to Toothless, petting his head. "Good job, bud. You really saved our butts." Toothless purrs and nuzzles his head against Hiccup's, causing his Rider to wince at the throbbing pain of his wound. He'd nearly forgotten about it with all the excitement of hearing Astrid...but now, it hurts worse than ever. "We definitely need to get back to Berk as soon as possible." He decides, sitting down to rest while Astrid looks for them.

Soon, he begins to hear the crunch of tree branches and even footsteps against grass. Astrid is close.

"Over here!" He shouts, flinching at the loudness of his own voice. A second later, Astrid steps into the clearing. She doesn't see them at first, her eyes still scanning the area in front of her.

But Toothless sees her. He jumps to his feet, gleefully and races over to her. The Night Fury almost tackles her in his excitement.

"Toothless!" She gasps, smiling at the sight of him. "It's good to see you, boy! Where's-" But her eyes land on Hiccup before she can finish the question. "Hiccup..." All the happiness seems to drain out of her at the sight him.

"Geez, Astrid..." He grumbles. "I know I've seen better days but I can't look that bad, right?"

In response, she sprints over to him and sinks to her knees. Her blue eyes are wide with shock as she looks him over. They seem to mainly concerned with his forehead and the amount of blood that's trickling from it. "Oh Hiccup..." She breathes, reaching up to brush his bangs away from the injury so she can get a better look at it. "What happened?"

Hiccup bites the inside of his cheek to keep from crying out at the pain when she touched his head. "I crashed." He reminds her, struggling to keep his voice light. "Frankly, I'm just glad it wasn't any worse."

"Me too." She agrees, taking her hand away. "But we need to get you back to Berk immediately. That gash doesn't look good."

He nods. "But how're we going to do that? I can't exactly steer Toothless right now."

"I know. That's why I told Fishlegs to head home as soon as I heard your voice. He should get there pretty soon." She tells him.

Hiccup smiles. "Good thinking. Of course..." He suddenly sighs and lowers his head. "This means my dad will come here...crashing two days in a row will not sit well with him."

Astrid shakes her head. "Hiccup, you could have died. The last thing you should be worried about is getting trouble with your dad."

"Yeah, well, you're forgetting: Stoick the Vast is my dad. He's not exactly...reasonable when it comes to some things. My 'reckless nature' is one of them."

Astrid smiles gently. "He's only strict because he cares about you." She reminds him.

Hiccup sighs, deeply. "I know."

With that, she stands up. "Come on, let's get back to the beach so we'll be there when everyone arrives."

"Got it." Hiccup moves as if to stand but as soon as he gets on his knees, the world begins to spin in front of him. He finds himself doubling back over and leaning on his hands to keep from falling over.

"Hiccup? Are you okay?" Astrid kneels down beside him and places a hand on his back. "What's the matter?"

He squeezes his eyes shut, hoping to stop the spinning because it's starting to make him feel sick. And the _last_ thing he wants to do is throw up in front of Astrid. The injured teen takes a careful breath to combat his nausea and it seems to help a little. "I-I'm okay." He stammers. "Just a little...dizzy."

"Dizzy...?" Astrid frowns and leans over, helping him to sit up again. She takes his arm and wraps it around her shoulder, using her hand to keep it there. She wraps her other arm around Hiccup's waist and helps him to his feet. "Come on, let's get to the beach so you can rest." She turns and tells Toothless to follow them, which he does eagerly.

* * *

It takes them about ten minutes to arrive at the beach where Fishlegs departed from not too long ago-a few of Meatlug's tracks are still there-and where help will eventually arrive.

Astrid sets Hiccup down against a fallen tree and smiles when Toothless instantly lays down beside him, wrapping his tail around his Rider's weakened body. "How are you feeling?" She asks him.

"Um, well...I've been better." He admits.

"I'll say..." She mutters in agreeance.

Hiccup watches, curiously, as Astrid pulls a knife off her waistband. He feels Toothless's body stiffen when she moves closer, bringing the dagger dangerously close to Hiccup. "What are you doing?" He asks her.

In response, she takes the bottom hem of his tunic and slices it with the knife, tearing a rather thick section off.

"H-hey! What was that for?" He demands, frowning at his ruined shirt.

She folds it in half and sets it in his lap. Standing up, she goes over to Stormfly and starts digging through the pouch on her dragon's saddle. She comes away with a flask of water before returning to Hiccup. "We need to clean that wound before it gets infected." She explains. "Besides, your tunic is long enough even without this piece." As an end to the conversation, she pops open the lid of the bottle and pours a bit of water onto the scrap of cloth.

Hiccup braces himself for the pain, knowing she's right. Astrid's hands are as gentle as possible when she dabs the wet rag over the wound. However, Hiccup still has to grind his teeth together to keep from crying out.

"Sorry..." She apologizes, seeing his agony. She finishes up cleaning away the dirt and blood from his skin, leaving just a long gasp running from his left eyebrow to the top of his forehead. By the time she's done, Hiccup is so pale she's afraid he might faint. Pain tolerance was never really his strong suit, after all. "Hey, you still with me?" She asks, touching his cheek.

"Yeah...I'm awake." He mumbles, his eyes still closed.

Seeing everything that's happening, Toothless whimpers and stares at Hiccup with big, sad eyes. He crawls a little closer and licks his friend's hand. Even in his state, Hiccup smiles down at his dragon.

"I'll be alright, bud. No need to worry." Suddenly, Hiccup's brow furrows. "Astrid, I never really got the chance to get a good look at Toothless but his leg looked pretty bad before..."

She frowns and scoots over, gently telling Toothless to move his tail so she can see his leg. He listens and lifts his tail out of the way. "Oh man..."

Hiccup struggles to sit up, wanting to see for himself but Astrid pushes him back, reminding him he needs to rest.

"It looks like it hurts but it's not bleeding." She tells him. "Toothless is tough, a little injury like that and some scratches won't slow him down."

_That's a relief. _Hiccup smiles at her and Toothless. "Thanks, Astrid."

She shrugs, nonchalantly. "It's not a problem. Now, let's just take it easy until help gets here." She slides over between Hiccup and Stormfly and sits back against the log as well, folding her arms behind her head. It's only then that she really looks out across the beach and the glittering ocean water.

The sun is still midway in the sky, about noon. A few sea birds glide above the water, cawing at each other. Far away from their island, a thick mist has settled above the ocean, obscuring any view they might have beyond that point.

Astrid chuckles. "You know, if we weren't stranded here, this might be kind of nice."

Hiccup laughs, tiredly. "Yeah. I guess it would be."

She glances sideways at him. "If you're tired, you can take a nap. Don't feel obligated to stay awake because I'm here."

He shrugs. "I'm not tired."

_He's still as bad a liar as always. _"If you say so."

The two teenagers sit there in a comfortable silence for a while, content in the fact that help will arrive soon. That is, until both Toothless and Stormfly suddenly jump to their feet. The dragons growl and hiss, their gazes flashing all around the small beach.

"What is it, bud?" Hiccup asks, having snapped out of his sleepiness.

"Stormfly, what's wrong?" Astrid wonders, standing up. She places a hand on the Nadder's side, trying to calm her. That's when Hiccup notices.

"Um...Astrid?"

"Yeah?"

"You...might want to take a look at this..." He says, suddenly sounding nervous.

"What is it-" She freezes, her eyes widening at what she sees in front of her. The mist has cleared over the ocean, showing them the massive island it was hiding. "Is that...Berk?" Astrid asks.

"No, it can't be. We flew too far for that to be Berk." Hiccup points out.

"Well it's not Dragon Island either. That's on the other side of us. I saw it when we landed."

"Well...if it's not Berk and it's not Dragon Island then...what is that?" Hiccup mutters, sounding bewildered.

"I'm not sure...I don't know what other islands are out here-"

"Astrid." His voice is stiff. Before she even turns to face him, she knows that he's figured out where they are. And it must not be good. "Remember when we were thinking we might have gotten blow off course?"

"Yeah."

"I think we were right. The wind must have pushed us harder than I thought...and when that Monstrous Nightmare attacked, we got turned around again..."

"So...?" She urges, just wanting to know what he's getting at.

"What's on the other side of Dragon Island?"

"The other side...well that's-" Her eyes widen. "Oh no..."

"Yeah. I think we're looking at Outcast Island right now."


	9. The First Step

_**Chapter Nine**_

Even Toothless reacts to the sound of Outcast Island's name. As soon as the word leaves Hiccups' mouth, the Night Fury turns on a dime and growls at the island in the distance. Seeing this, Stormfly continues to squawk, angrily as well.

"But...wait." Astrid says, jumping to her feet. "If that way is Outcast Island then...Fishlegs..."

"Oh no..." Hiccup sits up a little. "Don't tell me he flew that direction."

She groans in anguish. "He might have..."

"We need to catch up to him, let him know that that _isn't _ Berk!" Hiccup pushes himself to his shaky feet and stumbles over to Toothless. "If we don't, he could captured...or worse."

"Hey!" Astrid protests, running over to grab his arm. "You said it yourself: you're in no condition to be flying right now!"

"Astrid, if Fishlegs is caught by the Outcasts, they could-"

"I know what they might do." She interrupts him, not wanting to think about it. "But if _you_ go out there and you crash...it'll get a hundred times worse."

He grimaces, hating the fact that she's completely right. There's no way he'd even get Toothless in the air, let alone steer him the whole way to Outcast Island. Heck, he wouldn't even still be standing right now if Astrid wasn't holding onto him. "You're right..." He admits, quietly. "But what are we going to do about Fishlegs?"

Astrid sighs and gently lowers him back to the ground. "Well...think about it, Hiccup. Fishlegs knows what Berk looks like. He wouldn't land there, knowing it isn't Berk. Eventually, he'll figure it out and turn around."

"But what if the Outcasts see him before he does? They'll shoot him down, Astrid." Hiccup is leaning against Toothless now, who's body is wrapped protectively around him. There's still a scowl on the dragon's face, his green eyes focused on Outcast Island.

She shakes her head and kneels across from him. "Hiccup, what do you always say was the key to getting Toothless to like you?"

"Huh?"

"Just answer me."

He frowns, already knowing where she's going with this. "Fish?" He jokes, half-heartedly.

She glares at him. "Trust." She corrects him. "You showed you trusted him and he came through for you in the end. Right now, that's all we can do for Fishlegs. Trust him and know he'll come through for us."

* * *

"Come on, Meatlug. We've gotta get back to Berk for help!" Fishlegs says, encouragingly to his Gronckle. "Hiccup and Astrid need us...! They're counting on us! We can't let them down!" Just then, his eyes catch something within the dense ocean mist. "Wow...we're back already?" But then, Meatlug stops dead in her tracks and growls at the island below them. "What is, girl?" He asks, patting her head. Meatlug hovers there for a moment, turning her head to look at her Rider. The Gronckle's pupils go wide with affection for her friend and she coos, slightly. "Wait a second..." Fishlegs leans forward, his eyes narrowing. "That's not Berk..." He gasps in horror. "That must be-"

With a hurried pat on Meatlug's side, Fishlegs ushers her to turn around. "Come on, girl. We've gotta go warn the others that we're close to Outcast Island." But before they can start flying again, something shiny catches Fishlegs' eyes.

The sun light glints, harshly off the metal points of spears and swords that are loaded onto the Outcast ship. Twenty men are standing on the deck, furiously following the orders of their commander.

Fishlegs' face goes white as a sheet. "Alvin...? Alvin is here? But why..." He flashes a look back to where his friends are stranded, right in the ship's path. "C-come on, Meatlug. We've got to hurry!"

* * *

Stormfly and Toothless have settled down for the most part, contenting themselves with sticking very close to their Riders. Hiccup has fallen asleep, his chest rising and falling steadily. His face is anything but peaceful, though, contorted in pain. Astrid is sitting on a tall boulder on the edge of the beach, sharpening her knife as she scans the waters.

Suddenly, a shadowed figure looms above them, their features blotted by the sun. "Astrid!" They shout, coming closer.

"Fishlegs?!" She gasps, staring in shock as he comes into the light. "What are you doing here? I told you to go get help!"

"I was going to, but then I saw-" Before he can finish, something flies around the side of the beach. It smacks into Meatlug, sending her tumbling into the sand. The chords of a bola are tied around her and Fishlegs.

"Oh no!" Astrid jumps to her feet. "Hiccup! Wake up!"

"Huhnn?" He cracks open one eye. "What's going on...?"

But before she can answer him, another bola flies from the woods and wraps itself around her and Stormfly. _They're in the woods, too?! We're surrounded! _

Hiccup's heart slams into his throat when he finally realizes what's happening. They're under attack and no surprises as to who's attacking them. Toothless growls, furiously and fires a plasma blast into the woods. A moment later, a huge Outcast ship floats around the side of their island.

"Alvin...!" Hiccup growls, struggling to his feet.

"Ah, looks who it is, men!" The Outcast leader says, cheerfully. "If it ain't our little 'iccup. And a bit worse-for-ware I see..." He says, eyeing the wound on Hiccup's head. "What do you say, boy? Up for a trip to Outcast Island?"

"Hiccup, RUN!" Astrid shouts. "You can't fight-" She flinches when a net falls from the trees above him, flattening him and Toothless to the ground.

Hiccup glares at his worst enemy as he steps off the ship and strolls over to him. "I told you once and I'll tell you again." Hiccup growls. "I won't train dragons for you."

Alvin smirks, clicking his tongue. " 'iccup, 'iccup, 'iccup..." He shakes his head. "I think you will train dragons for me." He turns and smiles at Astrid and Fishlegs, who are trapped as well. "Otherwise, your friends might get a little...uncomfortable."

As if to emphasize the threat, Savage jumps off the boat as well. He reaches down and grabs Astrid by her braid, yanking it back until she cries out. He pulls a large knife from his waistband and holds it to her exposed throat.

Hiccup swallows, nervously at the sight of it so close to her.

"Well...?" Alvin snickers, darkly.

_If I train dragons for them, they'll destroy Berk...but if I don't... _His eyes go back to Astrid. _He'll kill Astrid and Fishlegs...probably the dragons too. _He looks at Toothless and shudders at the thought of losing him. "I..." He begins, unsure of what to say. _Then again, if I train their dragons, they'll kill us anyway._

"Hiccup, don't you dare agree to anything they say-" Astrid manages to yell before Savage clamps a hand over her mouth.

_Don't worry, Astrid. _Hiccup thinks. _I refuse to train dragons for them...! But if I play along, they won't kill you. _With a dramatic sigh, Hiccup lowers his head. "Fine. I'll do anything you say...just don't hurt my friends or their dragons."

"Hiccup!" Fishlegs gasps in shock.

"GAH!" Savage screams, yanking his hand off of Astrid's mouth. "She licked me!"

"Yuk...it wasn't too pleasant for me, either!" She grumbles under her breath. "Hiccup! What do you think you're-"

"It'll be okay, Astrid." He interrupts her. "Trust me."


	10. Outcast Island

_**Chapter Ten**_

_**A/N: In response to...**_

_**Lord Jaric: Savage's hand was flat over her mouth so she really wouldn't have been able to bite him effectively. In all honesty, that was my original plan until I realized how hard it would be for her to bite a flat hand. XD**_

_** Anyway, thanks everyone for the amount of support I've been getting! I really appreciate it! Now, back to the story~ *YAY FOR DOUBLE CHAPTER SUNDAY* XD**_

Hiccup, Astrid, Fishlegs, and their dragons are tied up and stored below deck where they can't escape. In their small cage-like room, it's dark and the air is damp. It's not hard to imagine that spending too much time in there would make someone sick.

Astrid sighs deeply at their situation. Since getting captured-nearly an hour ago-Hiccup's condition has gotten worse. When he was knocked to the ground by that net, his head started to bleed again and it hasn't stopped since. Even in the dark, she can tell he's dangerously pale. On top of that, they've been kidnapped by Outcasts and are being taken to Outcast Island, where they'll probably end up dead.

"What are we gonna do?" She mutters, mostly to herself. "No one even knows we're here."

"Well, that's not entirely true." Fishlegs says. "I did mention Dragon Island to Snotlout..."

"Oh _now_ I feel safe." Astrid grumbles, sarcastically.

"That's a good thought, Fishlegs." Hiccup says in a weary tone. "But I don't think Snotlout would notice if we didn't get home tonight."

"Yeah, you're probably right." Fishlegs says. "But that still means we don't have a plan...how are we going to get out of here?"

Astrid glances at Hiccup. He always has a plan, right? Problem solving is one of the many things he's best at...

Hiccup notices that both of them are staring at him, expectantly. They're hoping he has an idea...which he doesn't. He's not exactly in his best mind right now...frankly, it's taking all his focus not to pass out... Formulating a plan is not something he can even think about doing. "I don't know." He admits.

Astrid lowers her gaze.

"B-but you're Hiccup!" Fishlegs says. "You always know what to do!"

"Sorry..." Hiccup mumbles, suddenly finding it harder than before to keep his eyes open. His head nods forward and a drop of blood lands on his leg, followed by another...and another.

"Don't be sorry." Astrid says. "We're going to get out of this. All of us. But we're going to need to work together."

Hiccup straightens up and looks at her.

"First and foremost." Astrid looks straight into Hiccup's eyes when she says, "Don't you dare train dragons for them. I don't care what happens. Fishlegs and I can take care of ourselves. Just don't give in to them."

He nods, his expression hardening. "I won't."

"And Fishlegs, just keep it together. Don't let them scare you."

Fishlegs nods.

Just then, they feel the boat rock violently. Voices above them grow louder as men shout orders to each other.

"Sounds like we've landed..." Hiccup says.

They all flinch as the small trap door above them is thrown open and light pours in. A set of boots clunks down the steps, revealing it to be Savage.

He smirks at them. "Welcome to Outcast Island, everybody. I'm sure you'll enjoy you're stay here..." With that, he steps aside and more men walk below deck to carry them outside. One of them gets close to Hiccup, causing Toothless to snarl furiously.

"It's okay, bud." Hiccup assures him. "We'll get out of here."

Toothless whimpers but doesn't growl anymore. He watches with a worried expression as Hiccup is roughly yanked to his feet and shoved toward the stairs.

"Where are you taking us?" Astrid demands in a surprisingly confident voice.

Savage glares at her. "Prison for you and the dragons."

"And Hiccup?"

He smirks. "Alvin wants that to be a...surprise. We've been working awfully hard on _his _accommodations."

Hiccup swallows. _What is that supposed to mean?_

* * *

Berk's Great Hall is lit with the warm, golden glow of multiple torches that line the walls. Inside, several vikings are eating their supper and chatting, light-heartedly. Among them are Ruffnut and Tuffnut who, as usual, are arguing about something.

"Nuh-uh!" Tuffnut crosses his arms and turns away from his sister.

"Yeah-huh!" Ruffnut smacks him on the back of the head until he turns to face her again.

"I said nuh-uh!"

"_I_ said yeah-huh!"

"And makes you think you're right?"

"I'm always right!"

"You are...?" Tuffnut frowns, trying to think of whether that's true or if he's been tricked. "Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Oh...okay, I guess you're right then."

"Ruffnut, Tuffnut." The voice belongs to Stoick, who has just entered the two massive doors at the front of the room.

"Oh, hey sir." Tuffnut says, kicking his feet onto the top of the table. "How's the chief-ing going?"

Stoick shakes his head, his arms folded over his chest. "Have you seen Hiccup today?"

"No, not today. Why?" Tuff answers.

"Hmm, I'm getting worried. He left this morning and said he's be home by nightfall...he's not back yet."

"Oh! Do you think he crashed again?" Ruff asks, getting excited at the thought of more destruction. "Or maybe they got attacked!?"

"Or both!" Tuff offers.

"I like the way you think, brother!"

"Yeah, me too."

Stoick sighs in frustration. "Well do you know where they went?"

"Nah, but I did see Fishlegs talking to Snotlout this morning...if that helps."

Stoick nods. "It does. Thank you."

They watch Stoick as he leaves before turning to each other. "You want to go tip some yaks?"

"Heck yeah!"

* * *

"Aw, who's a good Monstrous Nightmare? You are!" Snotlout whispers as he affectionately rubs his dragon's belly. "Hookfang, Hookfang! Oi! Oi! Oi!"

Hookfang purrs, contently.

"Snotlout!" Stoick calls as he approaches the boy's home. "Are you here?"

"Huh?" The teen jumps to his feet and steps away from Hookfang. "Uh, yeah! Back here, sir!" He calls.

Stoick rounds the corner and looks, suspiciously, at Hookfang and Snotlout. "Have you seen my son today?"

"Huh? Nope! Not today." Snotlout says.

"Tuffnut said he saw you talking with Fishlegs this morning. What did he say?"

"Um, that they were going to Dragon Island or something...for training I guess. But it sounded boring so we didn't go." Just then, Hookfang stands up and nudges his Rider's back. Snotloud waves him away and turns back to Stoick, laughing nervously. "I-I don't know why he gets like that sometimes! Haha..."

"Dragon Island...?" Stoick mutters, ignorning Snotlout now.

"Um, if you don't mind me asking me, why? Aren't they back yet?"

"No and I'm starting to get worried. That wind storm that blew through here today was pretty harsh..."

"You don't think they could have crashed again, do you?"

"I don't know." Stoick mutters as he begins to walk away. "But I'm going to find out."

"Huh? Are you going to Dragon Island?" Snotlout calls after him.

"Yes."

"O-okay! Hookfang and I will come too!"

"Good, bring the twins as well. We might need all the help we can get if something has gone wrong."

"Yes sir!"

* * *

Hiccup grunts as he's shoved forward onto the docks. Astrid and Fishlegs are right behind him, followed by the dragons. Alvin is already standing on the shore, smiling at them.

"Take the dragons to the arena and keep an eye on them." He says to the men who are struggling to pull Toothless, Stormfly and Meatlug. "Don't let them escape."

"Yes sir."

"The other two kids can be sent to the cells." He smirks. "You know where to send the Dragon Conqueror..."

Hiccup frowns at him but doesn't try to fight back, much to Alvin's pleasure. Perhaps this brat has finally learned his lesson. Although he doubts it.

As all of us friends are led away from him, Hiccup lowers his gaze to the ground. An angry scowl on his face, especially when he hears the sad whimper that comes from Toothless. _Don't worry, bud. We won't be here for long. I'll figure something out._

Astrid growls something under her breath to the men who are leading her away. Then, with one violent thrash, she manages to break free for a moment. She uses that time to turn and face Hiccup. "Remember what I told you!" She barks.

He nods, a determine glint in his eye. "I know."

With that, Astrid is grabbed again and shoved in the opposite direction. She hisses something else inaudible that makes the guards look at each other in shock and go red in the face.

Hiccup can't help but wonder what it was that she said. But his curiosity is cut short when Savage grabs him by the back of his tunic and pushes him forward. "Keep moving, boy. The sooner we get there, the sooner you can start training dragons..."

"Words cannot describe my excitement..." Hiccup grumbles, sarcastically.

"Nor mine." Alvin agrees, wearing a vicious smile.

The look on his enemy's face makes Hiccup gulp and lower his gaze. _I have a feeling this isn't going to go well for me..._


	11. The Pit

_**Chapter Eleven**_

_**A/N: Poor Hiccup! ...and everyone else too XD The situation pretty much sucks all around! LOL Anyway, thanks for reading and don't forget to REVIEW! **_

The Pit, as it's called by the Outcasts, is a long metal tube that goes straight into the ground. The floor is rounded like a shallow bowl. At the very bottom of the Pit, the walls are made of a thick, metal grating. On either side, an angry Whispering Death is struggling against its own confinement, somehow also trapped in matching metal tubes. That is where Alvin sends Hiccup. Obviously, the Outcasts learned that a normal jail cell won't keep him trapped for long. The Pit is their substitution.

_Wow, they are REALLY determined to keep me here, aren't they? _Hiccup frowns as he's shoved toward the Pit.

Savage strolls over to him and begins wrapping a rope around his waist.

Alvin laughs, darkly and plants his hands on his hips. "Impressive, ain't it?"

"It's really something..." Hiccup agrees, trying to keep his nervousness at bay. _Stay calm, I'll figure something out...just don't panic._

Savage gives the rope one, hard tug before turning to a crank beside the Pit. The rope around Hiccup's waist is connected to it. Savage flashes Hiccup a black-toothed smile before taking the crank into his fist. "Have fun down there, boy." He lifts his leg and kicks Hiccup square in the back, knocking him over the edge of the twenty foot drop.

* * *

"Thornado, down." Stoick commands, pointing at the beach of Dragon Island. The massive Thunderdrum obeys, gliding to a stop just above the sand. Stoick steps off his dragon and pats Thornado's head, approvingly. "Good boy."

Soon, Snotlout and twins land as well. The teens hop down and hurry over to where their chief is standing. "Hmm, it doesn't look like they're here." Tuffnut comments, glancing around.

"Yeah, maybe we just missed them." Snotlout says. He casually leans over, propping his weight against Hookfang's snout. "We should probably head back."

"No." Stoick folds his arms and paces across the beach. "Something's not right...we need to find them."

"How can you tell?" Ruff wonders. "It looks pretty normal here to me."

"Exactly." Stoick kneels down in the sand. "There's no footprints. No marks to show that dragons landed here."

"Um, sir." Tuff smirks. "This is sand. Any wind at all would have blown footprints away."

"I can't believe I'm saying this...but Tuffnut has a point. They probably left already." Snotlout tells him.

While the group continues discussing this, Ruffnut notices something a bit off shore. Curiously, she hurries away to find out what it is. "Um, guys!"

"What is it, Ruffnut?" Stoick asks.

She leans over and points at something that's floating far off in the distance. "Why is one of our ships out here?"

"What? No one should be-" But Stoick stops as soon as he sees the ship she's talking about. His face goes stony and a scowl settles across his face. "Ruffnut, that's not one our ships."

"Yeah, isn't that a-"

"An Outcast Ship." Stoick growls, angrily.

"So, hey!" Snotlout gasps. "Does this mean that Hiccup and the others could have been captured?!"

"I can't be sure." He says, coldly. "But we're going to find out. Mount your dragons, everyone. We're going to have a conversation with those Outcasts..."

* * *

"Come on...!" Astrid hisses. She grabs the edge of her jail cell and struggles to pull herself into the rafters. If she manages this, she might be able to squeeze between the top of her cell and roof.

Fishlegs, who is in a cell across from hers, has his face smooshed against the bars of the door, keeping watch. "Hurry up, Astrid! I think someone is coming!" He calls in a whispered voice.

"I've...almost...got it...!" She grunts, finally pulling herself up and over so that she's laying on her stomach. "Fishlegs, if there's only one guard, have them come into my cell...tell them I've escaped. I might be able to jump them!"

"Right..." He swallows his fear and steps back from the door, not wanting to look suspicious.

One guard rounds the corner, then another. A moment later, two more follow them. They glance at the prisoners, occasionally peering inside the cells to get a better look.

"There's four of them!" Fishlegs whispers.

"We'll wait." She responds. "Don't let them look in here!"

The guards draw closer, one of them jabs a finger at Fishlegs' cell and they pick up their pace. Another points to Astrid's...they're going to look in and see that she's gone! Frantically, Fishlegs tries to think of a way to distract them. "U-um! Over here, you...dirty Outcasts! I'll...crush every single one of you...!" His tone isn't very convincing but, clearly, it catches their attention. They start running toward him, one of them draws his knife!

Astrid gasps, seeing this. What is Fishlegs thinking?! She's about to jump down and draw their attention to her instead, but as soon as she gets one foot down, one of the guards turns and looks straight into her cell. She freezes.

Without a word, the guard goes to her cell and peers inside. He opens his mouth to say something, probably to tip off the other guards that she has escaped, but Astrid takes her chance and leaps down, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt. He grunts as she yanks him, hard, against the cell door.

The others spin around to look at what has happened.

"Don't move!" She barks. "Or this one gets it!"

"Relax, babe!" One of them says.

Astrid hesitates. That voice...

He reaches up and pulls his helmet off, revealing a very familiar face.

"Snotlout!" She cries. "I can't believe it! You actually came for us!"

"Of course I did, babe! You didn't think 'ol Snotlout would leave you in your time of need, did you?" He laughs and shakes his head in an awkwardly flirty manner.

"Yeah...we're here to save the day. Now could you please let go of me!" Tuffnut grumbles, trying to wrench out of her grip.

"Oh!" She releases him. "I'm so sorry, Tuff! I didn't know it was you."

"Yeah, great." He mutters, rotating his shoulder that was nearly thrown out of joint by her grip. His sister hurries over to him, momentarily seeming worried. But then, she laughs and punches his good shoulder.

"Don't be such a wimp!"

"I'm not a wimp!"

"Yes you are!"

"I am...?"

"Stand aside." Stoick growls, stepping past them. He kneels down and uses his knife to pick the lock on her door. Snotlout does the same for Fishlegs. The doors swing open and they both rush out, happy to be free again. "Now," He stands up, sliding the knife back into his waistband. "Where are they keeping Hiccup?"

Astrid falters, her heart clenching at the thought of what he might be going through. "I don't know. They took him somewhere else...said it was some kind of 'special' cell."

Stoick grits his teeth together. "Alvin better hope I don't see him today...!" With that, he stands up again and motions for the kids to follow him. "Come on, we've got to find my son."

"What about our dragons?" Fishlegs asks.

Stoick hesitates for a moment. "Do you know where they're being kept?"

"Yeah, they said to take them to the arena!" Astrid recalls.

"Alright." He nods, having decided their next course of action. "Astrid, Fishlegs, Ruff and Tuff, you four go to the arena. Find the dragons and help them escape. Be careful, there's no telling how much security they might have there."

"Yes sir."

"Snotlout and I will try to figure out where they're keeping Hiccup. Once we find him, we'll head back to the beach where our dragons are waiting. Meet us there."

"Okay." Astrid nods. "Let's go find our dragons."

* * *

Hiccup screams as he plummets down into the Pit. As the metallic floor grows closer and closer, he's sure the fall will kill him. However, just before he makes contact, the rope around his waist runs out of length. He gasps when he suddenly stops falling and dangles about six feet off the ground. His ribs hurt where the rope cut his fall but at least he isn't dead.

"Haha! Scared you, didn't I?" Savage laughs.

Hiccup winces, trying to find a way to stop the ropes from cutting into his skin. Nothing works. A moment later, there's jerk in his make-shift harness and he's lowered down by the crank. He lands, heavily on the floor and quickly struggles out of the ropes.

That's when Alvin appears at the edge of the hole. He looks down at the captured teen and smiles. "Now, I'll bet you're wondering why I've sent you here."

Hiccup glares at him, rubbing his sore ribcage. He's too angry to make a witty comeback, too frustrated to care if Alvin sees how flustered he's made him and his head hurts too bad to stand up and attempt to strangle his enemy with the ropes that are still in his hands.

"Well, I'll tell you." He backs off a bit, sensing the hate that's emanating from Hiccup. "You see that Whispering Death there?"

Hiccup looks over, coming almost face to face with the creature. It growls at him and smashes its head against the bars, trying to attack him.

"I've managed to train it a little bit myself...although it's far from obedient. Needless to say, if I open that grating that's separating the two of you...well, it'll be curtains for you, boy."

Hiccup swallows, edging to the other side of his small room.

"I won't do that...if you agree to help me."

"Tsk!" The young viking musters as much strength into his voice as possible when he says, "You wouldn't kill me, Alvin. If you do, there's no way for you to learn how to train dragons!"

"Oh? Is that so?"

Hiccup casts him a confused look.

"I have your friends as well. And from what it seems like, they're almost as good as you. If I kill you, I still have them. One of them is bound to agree before being eaten alive..."

Hiccup's heart slams into his chest hearing that. _He's right...what's stopping him from killing me now? I'm sure Astrid wouldn't agree but...as much as I hate to say it, Fishlegs might freak out and... _He closes his eyes. _No, he wouldn't. There's no way._

"Anyhow," Alvin steps away from the Pit. "I'll give you a few hours to decide. But, please, don't make me kill the original Dragon Conqueror. That'd be shame..." With that, he walks away, chuckling darkly. Savage follows close behind, leaving their victim alone.

Hiccup groans and pulls his legs up to his chest, wrapping his arms around them. Closing his eyes, he buries his head in his knees. _I'm all out of options...it's either help Alvin train his dragons so he can destroy Berk...or get eaten alive. _With a shaky sigh, he thinks, _I wonder which one is worse?_


	12. Rescue Mission!

_**Chapter Twelve**_

_**A/N: We're almost done! Can't wait to see what you guys thought of the climax! Thanks for all the reviews and enjoy the story!**_

Hiccup wobbles, unsteadily on one foot as he peers at the top of the Pit. No one is standing guard because it seems pretty impossible to escape. Which is why Hiccup is definitely going to prove them wrong. _I AM going to get out of here...just have to figure out how... _He looks down at his prosthetic leg, which he removed and is holding in his hand.

Taking a step back, he raises it over his head and hooks it to the wall, using the two nails that stick out from the bottom of it. He gives it a good tug. Satisfied that it's sturdy enough, he places his other leg against the wall and tries to climb up, using the prosthetic almost like a grappling hook. He manages to work his way up about six feet off the ground before the nails in his fake foot gives and he slams back to the floor.

"Ughhh..." He moans, sitting up again. _I know I can do this...I just need to be more careful...maybe I could-_

_ SNAP!_

Hiccup freezes. What was that sound? He quickly reattaches his leg and shimmies to the other side of the Pit, squinting up into the darkness above him. Have the Outcasts returned already? It's only been...a few hours... "Crap!" He tries to stand up but fails when his head starts spinning again. _This is bad...this is really bad! _

"Hiccup!" The voice is deep, intimidating...yet...familiar?

_No way... _"D-Dad?" Hiccup whispers. _But there's no way! He didn't even know where we went! _

"Son? Is that you?"

_IT IS HIM! _"Dad!" Hiccup jumps to his feet, suddenly full of adrenaline.

When Stoick finally peeks down into the Pit, Hiccup notices that he's dressed as an Outcast.

_ So that's how he got here...smart! _"You have no idea how glad I am to see you!" Hiccup admits, smiling wider than he has since they first crashed.

Stoick smiles too. "Just hang on, we'll get you out of there!"

"We?"

Only then does Snotlout reveal himself. "Yeah, we! I'm the one who told your dad about Dragon Island!"

"Snotlout...!" Hiccup gasps. "Oh man, I'm sorry I ever doubted you!"

"Hmph!" He folds his arms, smugly. "Just relax, Hiccup! Good 'ol Snotlout'll get you out of there!" He looks around, finding the rope attached to the crank and begins lowering it down the hole.

"Hold, you!"

Stoick and Snotlout go still at the sound of the voice, accompanying it are the sounds of several pairs of boots. Whoever they are, they brought back-up. Stoick stands up but Snotlout remains on the edge of the Pit, discretely trying to pass the rope to Hiccup.

"What's your business here?" The Outcast asks.

"Um, we were sent here by Alvin...to...check up on the prisoner." Stoick lies. "He...wanted to make sure he hasn't managed to escape."

"Escape? HA!" The Outcast laughs, heartily before shaking his head. "No one has ever escaped the Pit. Especially not some scrawny, one-footed brat!"

Stoick's teeth grind together in fury. He just barely manages to keep himself for jumping that man right then and there. "W-well we've got it handled here...no reason for you to stick around..." He growls.

"Actually, there is. Alvin wants his answer from the boy now. That way, he can prepare the dragons for training or...well, killing!" He laughs again and the other Outcasts join in. Their laughter calms down and the main Outcast strolls over to Stoick, casually. "You know what I heard? I heard that even if the brat agrees to help, Alvin is going to make sure he never rides another dragon in his life! I wonder how he's gonna manage that? Hmm, maybe he'll cut off the other foot!" The Outcast raises his voice. "How does that sound, boy? Being a double-amputee sound good to you-"

His words are cut off by Stoick's fist smashing into his teeth. The Outcast collapses to the ground, knocked out in one hit. Berk's chief cracks his knuckles and looks up at the others, who are readying to attack. But before they get the chance...

"Stormfly, spine shot!"

"Go Meatlug!"

The night sky is lit up with flames as the dragons attack. Long blue and yellow spears stab into the ground, trapping their enemies so they can't run away. A second later, a brilliant purple explosion bursts against the ground, showering dirt and stones from the air. Ruff and Tuff scream as Toothless whips through the sky, a furious glint in his green eyes. He knows Hiccup is here and he's determined to save him.

With the Outcasts distracted, Hiccup jumps up and grabs the rope.

"Hold on tight!" Snotlout says. He runs over to the crank and starts pulling Hiccup up.

_Everyone is here! They're okay! _Hiccup grins when he sees Toothless fire another plasma blast at their enemies, who are blindly swinging their swords through the air, trying to cut the dragons.

Within a few seconds, Hiccup is back above ground. Snotlout jams the crank so he won't fall back down when he lets go and hurries over to help his friend climb out the rest of the way. Hiccup thanks him and is immediately scooped off the ground by his father.

"My boy...!" Stoick whispers, grasping his son in a bone-crushing embrace. "I was so worried about you..."

Seeing this, Toothless roars excitedly and flies toward the ground, shaking the twins off his back. He lands on all fours and sprints toward his friend, his tongue flapping in the wind.

"Toothless!" Hiccup laughs as his dragon tackles him to the ground, licking his face and soaking it with slobber. The Night Fury purrs and coos like mad, nudging his Rider's as if say he's relieved. Hiccup smiles and hugs him around the neck. "I missed you too, bud!"

That's when the others land as well. "Those Outcasts are unconscious," Astrid says. "Now let's get out of here before Alvin finds out!"

"Right." Hiccup hops into the saddle and buckles himself in, ready to take flight.

"No flying." Stoick barks. "We need to stick together and make sure no one sees us." Having said that, everyone gets off their dragons, except Hiccup. "What's the matter, son?" Stoick asks. "I said no flying."

"I know that but, uh..." Hiccup isn't sure how to put this without sounding frail and weak.

"Hiccup's hurt." Astrid says. "He probably can't walk right now."

"Hurt?" Stoick closes the space between him and his son, inspecting him closely. Only then does he notice the long gash on his son's forehead, along with a lot of blood, both dried and fresh. "What happened?!" He demands in that voice that says he wants to kill the person who did that to him.

"Relax, Dad! It was an accident!" Hiccup assures him. "I hurt myself when I crashed."

"YOU CRASHED?!"

"Oooh, okay! He didn't know about the crash..." Hiccup says to himself. "Um, can we talk about this later? We really shouldn't be here when the Outcasts wake up..."

Stoick sighs and reaches up to massage his temples. "Right, we'll talk later. For now, let's just focus on getting home."

Hiccup leans forward in the saddle, enjoying the feeling of being back with his best friend. He knows he shouldn't let his guard down just yet but there's just something about being near Toothless that makes him feel safe. Not to mention that his other friends _and _his father are here as well. It's almost enough to justify the heavy feeling in his eyelids and the fuzziness of his mind. Like he could just...fall asleep...

"Hiccup!" Astrid hisses, suddenly very close to his ear.

"Huh?!" He blinks, rubbing his eyes that he hadn't noticed had closed.

"Stay with me, we're not safe yet." She says, eyeing him closely.

"Uh, right..." He shakes his head, trying to clear the fogginess within it.

* * *

By the time they arrive at the beach, it's about midnight. The sky is pitch black and the stars, as well as the moon, are blocked by the clouds. Waves crash against the rocky shore, spraying a mist over the sand.

"We're almost there." Stoick tells them. "The dragons are waiting for us just on the other side of this ridge."

"Hmph, I hope Barf and Belch didn't teach Hookfang any bad habits!" Snotlout says, eyeing the twins in annoyance. "If they did, you'll be hearing from my lawyer!"

"What's a lawyer?" Tuff wonders.

Astrid glances sideways at Hiccup, who's tired body is practically limp as it sits in the saddle. She can't help but think the only reason he hasn't fallen off yet is because of the buckle and foot pedals. She draws closer, Stormfly not too far behind. "Hey, are you alright?" She asks, gently.

"Never better..." He murmurs.

They've just rounded the side of another ridge when they notice how empty the docks are. "That's strange..." Stoick comments, suspiciously. "Where is everyone?"

"Hey, we should be glad they aren't here. That makes our lives a whole lot easier!" Fishlegs says, optimistically.

"Fishlegs is right," Hiccup says, speaking up for the first time since they left. "Let's just focus on getting to the dragons and getting off this island."

Stoick nods, accepting his son's opinion. "Let's hurry then, no telling when they'll figure out that you're gone."

But just then-

_BOOM!_

Everyone screams as the ground in front of them explodes, sand and dirt flying into the air. A cannon ball sits in a large crater ten feet away from them.

"Looks like they've already figured it out..." Tuff whimpers.

Hiccup white-knuckles the saddle, lowering himself closer to Toothless in case they need to take off. There's no guarantee they'd be able to fly in their condition but they could try... Astrid and Fishlegs hop onto their dragons as well, bracing for a fight as a huge Outcast ship rounds the side of the beach, floating into view.

Standing on the deck of the ship, are Alvin and Savage. Alvin clicks his tongue and shakes his head. " 'iccup, 'iccup, 'iccup...you didn't really think you could escape 'ol Alvin again, did you?"

"Um, yeah. That was the plan, actually." Hiccup retorts with a roll of his eyes.

"Sorry, boy. But it ain't gonna be that easy this time..." He lifts his hand and his men load the cannons. A few others point crossbows at the dragons. "I warned you, 'iccup. Either you train my dragons or you die. It's that simple." With that word, the Outcasts point their crossbows straight at Hiccup, fingers on the trigger.

He frowns, bracing himself for whatever comes next. But that's when he remembers...

"Any last words, brat?" Savage shouts.

Hiccup sits up in the saddle and grins. "Just one." Before anyone can move, he reaches and cups his hands around his mouth, letting out a deafening dragon call. An instant later, a massive shadow crosses over the ship as a dragon passes between it and the moon.

Snotlout perks up, seeing who it is. "Hookfang!" He cheers.

The Monstrous Nightmare roars and glides toward the ship, his body bursting into flames, claws extended. Alvin cries out in shock as it grabs ahold of him, yanking him into the sky.

"Good dragon!" Hiccup calls, shifting in his saddle. "Alvin! Tell your men to back off or else!"

"Or else what? You don't have the guts to kill me, boy! You're weak!" He laughs, seeming to not mind that he's hanging by one arm in the talons of a Monstrous Nightmare. "A coward!"

Stoick growls, furiously but Hiccup motions for him to stay still.

"That might be true...bravery was never really a strong-suit of mine. But there's one thing you should know." He glances at the crossbows, which are still aimed right at him. "Never, NEVER come between a Rider and his dragon." As if to emphisize the point, Toothless lets out a ferocious roar and stamps his feet into the stone. "Hookfang." Hiccup growls. "Why don't you show Alvin how Outcast Island looks from the sky? Oh, and don't be shy about putting some Monstrous Nightmare flare into the tour..." Hookfang growls in consent and soars away, Alvin in his clutches.

All of Alvin's men watch in horror as the other dragons arrive as well. Thornado, Barf and Belch land on the beach, growling at them.

"Well? Are you guys up for some 'sight-seeing' as well?" Stoick shouts.

They flash each other horrified looks before dropping their weapons and running away. Obviously, they don't like the idea of being carried off by a dragon...

"Hmm, they're smarter than Alvin." Hiccup decides. He sighs in relief and relaxes into the saddle once again. "Can we go home now?"

_**A/N: Only one chapter to go...don't forget to review!**_


	13. Epilogue

_**Chapter Thirteen**_

_**A/N: I wrote this chapter while listening to the HTTYD soundtrack. Particularly "Coming Back Around", "This is Berk" and "Romantic Flight"...so you can pretty much assume the content already XD**_

_-Epilogue-_

Everyone breathes a sigh of relief as Berk's shores come into sight. It's now early morning, exactly twenty-four hours since Hiccup crash landed on that island. Astrid smiles, comfortable in the knowledge that they all escaped with their lives. She leans down and pats Stormfly's head, thankful that nothing happened to her when they were separated.

Hiccup, who is riding with his father on Toothless's back, has fallen asleep...or passed out. Who knows. All that matters to Astrid is that, in time, he'll recover and be back to his old self again. Although she's positive the first words that come out of his mouth will be concern for the others, particularly Toothless.

Once the Riders get closer to Berk, they notice how many people are standing on the docks, gazing up at the sky. When the people of Berk see them, the air is filled with cheers and shouts of joy.

"They're back!"

"Everyone's alive!"

"The dragons too!"

Stoick smiles, seeing his people once again. "Stand back," He calls. "We'll need room to land."

They obey and the dragons land, immediately being swarmed by concerned parents and friends. Gobber smiles at Stoick and claps him across the shoulder in a 'well done'. Stoick nods and turns around, scooping Hiccup into his arms so that he's cradling him.

"We'll need you to have a look at the dragons." Stoick says. "It looks like Toothless is hurt as well."

"Of course." Gobber says, patting the Night Fury's head. "Just take that boy of yours home and let him get some rest. He looks pretty banged up as well."

Stoick nods and starts walking toward town. As he does, the crowd parts and lets him through. All their eyes are focused on Hiccup's limp body. A hushed whispers goes through them, obviously wondering if he'll be okay.

Astrid watches as well, biting the inside of her cheek. In this light, Hiccup does seem sort of pale... She shakes her head. No. He'll be fine. With that, she tells Stormfly to follow her and runs after Stoick, wanting to help him with Hiccup.

* * *

Toothless's purrs are the first thing he notices when consciousness eventually finds him again. He groans, quietly and rolls over in his bed. _Wait...I'm in my bed...? _Hiccup's eyes snap open. He sits up, disoriented and confused. How had he gotten here? The last thing he remembers is...being on Outcast Island and...watching Hookfang fly off with Alvin in his claws.

When Toothless sees Hiccup sit up, he jumps to his feet, runs over and starts cooing loudly. The dragon bounds across the room, circling his Rider's bed and jumping into the rafters. He leaps down again and runs down the stairs, only to reappear a moment later.

Hiccup laughs at his dragon's crazy behavior. "Well at least you seem to know what's going on." He says, smirking as Toothless runs over to him and practically crawls into his lap. "Yeah, it's good to see you to, bud. I was worried about you."

That's when Stoick appears in the doorway and smiles at his son. "Hiccup...!" He hurries across the room and wraps his arms around Hiccup's shoulders, heaving him into the air in a tight embrace before setting him back down again. "How are you feeling? Does your head still hurt?"

Hiccup shrugs, playing it off as nothing. "A little, but I've had worse."

Stoick smiles, broadly. "You really had is worried, son. I'm so glad you're okay."

Hiccup blushes, not used to this kind of attention from his father. "Um, th-thanks, Dad..." He says, his eyes on the floor. "For...everything."

Stoick places a hand on his shoulder and says, "Thank _you_, Hiccup."

Just then, they hear another pair of boots running up the stairs into Hiccup's room. Astrid is out of breath, panting actually. Her eyes go wide, seeing Hiccup back on his feet. A second after her, Snotlout, Fishlegs and the twins come upstairs as well.

"Were all of you waiting downstairs?" Hiccup asks.

"Yeah, _they_ were worried about you." Snotlout says with a roll of his eyes. "I didn't care."

"Sure you didn't." Ruffnut chuckles. "As I recall, you were the one who didn't want to leave..."

"Shut up! He doesn't need to know that!" Snotlout growls under his breath.

It's while Hiccup is watching his friends bicker, as usual, that Astrid walks over to him. She punches him hard in the shoulder.

"OW! Astrid...!" He complains, rubbing his arm.

"_That_ was for almost dying...again!" She barks.

"But that wasn't even-" But his words are cut off when she grabs him by the collar of his tunic, pressing her lips against his. When they finally part, Hiccup stumbles, grinning stupidly. "Okay, I guess I deserved that..."

She giggles and grabs his arms, holding him close. "Seriously though, I'm glad you're alright." She whispers.

"Ugh, get a room you two!" Snotlout pretends to gag as he storms downstairs. "I need to go wash my eyes now!"

"Don't be such a baby, Snotlout!" Fishlegs calls after him.

"Yeah, it was just a kiss!"

"And a hug...!" The twins laugh as they run outside as well.

Stoick, obviously feeling awkward, silently slips out as well.

The two teens step away from each other, smiling awkwardly. "Do you want to go get something to eat?" Astrid asks him. "You've been asleep since yesterday morning."

Before he can answer, his stomach begins to rumble.

Astrid laughs. "I guess that's a yes."

"Sounds like one..." He agrees.

Together, they leave the Haddock house and go to the Great Hall. There, Hiccup is greeted by the other vikings with open arms. They seem ecstatic to see that their heir is recovering at last. The Hall is brimming with excitement as more of the Riders show up and soon, Snotlout begins detailing their adventure in as much detail as possible. Even though he wasn't even there for most of it...

Hiccup laughs to himself and sits down at a bench, quietly listening while his friends divulge to everyone about their captivity and escape, fighting off Outcasts, making a fool of Alvin the Treacherous and finally returning home, safe and sound.

Toothless purrs from where is seated at Hiccup's feet. The young Rider leans down and scratches him behind the ear, making his purrs grow louder. "I guess Astrid was right before..." Hiccup says, mostly to himself. "The feeling really was mutual..." He glances down at Toothless, who's leg has been bandaged but isn't bleeding anymore. Gently, he reaches up and touches his own wound. It doesn't hurt much anymore. With a little grin, he stands up and motions for Toothless to follow him.

They burst outside while everyone is distracted and Hiccup hops into the saddle, eagerly buckling himself in. Toothless bounces, happily. He can't wait to get back in the air.

Hiccup leans forward in the saddle and smiles. "Alright bud, let's go!" Toothless leaps into the air, soaring high above the clouds. They spin, quickly before leveling off. After that, they simply glide, enjoying the coolness of the air and slightly damp feeling that says it will probably rain soon. _This_ is the life. Hiccup can't remember what it was like before he was able to do this. Before he was able to slip out unnoticed and take off into the sky with his best friend. Yeah, this is something worth fighting for...

* * *

_"This is Berk. An island that is constantly shrouded in danger. Chances are, you won't survive a day out here without someone you can count on. Luckily for me, I had those people today."_

* * *

_**A/N: WOW! Is it just me or did that go really fast? Anyway, tell me what you thought and thanks for reading!**_


End file.
